How to Run an Emergency Department Social Medicine Team

The EDSM team at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center was detailed recently in an article published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. The EDSM team at the hospital includes a patient navigator, social workers, care coordination nurses, a pharmacist, physician consultants, and specialists in transitional care, substance use, and quality improvement.

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How to Build a Comprehensive Social Determinants of Health Initiative

SDOH factors such as food security and housing play a pivotal role in the health of individuals and populations. A landmark 2016 study published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and the physical environment account for determining more than 80% of health outcomes, with clinical care accounting for only 16% of health outcomes.

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A Prescription for Social Determinants of Health

A September 2019 study published in JAMA found that only 24% of hospitals and 16% of physician practices reported screening for five key social factors that affect health outcomes. Those factors, as defined by CMS’ Accountable Health Communities model, are food insecurity, housing instability, utility needs, transportation needs, and interpersonal violence.

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CDC Urges Pregnant Women to Get Vaccinated

The lack of vaccination puts the health of both the mother and child at risk, the CDC said, as women with influenza are twice as likely to be hospitalized if they are pregnant and nearly 70% of whooping cough deaths came from babies less than two months old.

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