Potential benefits of incorporating social determinants of health screening on comprehensive medication management effectiveness
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Increasingly, pharmacists are asked to incorporate social determinants of health (SDoH) identification and referral into clinical practice. However, to date, no studies have evaluated clinical changes from embedding SDoH screening into the delivery of comprehensive medication management (CMM) in patients with chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical effectiveness of implementing a clinical pharmacist-led SDoH screening and referral process as part of CMM encounters across a network of 7 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). METHODS: We used a retrospective cohort design to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating SDoH screening into CMM across a network of 7 FQHCs. A difference-in-difference approach was used to compare the effectiveness of CMM between patients with and without SDoH needs on the probability of achieving clinical control for blood pressure (<140 systolic/90 diastolic mm Hg) and diabetes (<9% hemoglobin A1c). RESULTS: = 0.143). CONCLUSIONS: Although not statistically significant, the results of this pilot evaluation suggest the potential for meaningful clinical improvements from screening and referral of SDoH needs as a part of CMM encounters. These results should be corroborated using a larger, more robust study design.
Authors: Joel F. Farley, Swetha Pradeep
Institution: University of Minnesota
Language: English
Subfield: Pharmacology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
Award: G8141874343
OpenAlex ID: W4403862335