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Explore the assessment of Social Determinants of Health. You will develop interview questions and techniques that will facilitate a full assessment of your patients. You will explore available instruments to complete a full assessment of an individuals Social Determinants of Health.
How would your communication and interview techniques for building a health history differ with each patient?
How might you target your questions for building a health history based on the patient’s social determinants of health?
What risk assessment instruments would be appropriate to use with each patient, or what questions would you ask each patient to assess his or her health risks?
Identify any potential health-related risks based upon the patient’s age, gender, ethnicity, or environmental setting that should be taken into consideration.
Select one of the risk assessment instruments presented in Chapter 1 or Chapter 5 of the Seidel’s Guide to Physical Examination text, or another tool with which you are familiar, related to your selected patient.
Develop at least five targeted questions you would ask your selected patient to assess her health risks and begin building a health history.
Post a summary of the interview and a description of the communication techniques you would use with your assigned patient. Explain why you would use these techniques. Identify the risk assessment instrument you selected and justify why it would be applicable to the selected patient. Provide at least five targeted questions you would ask the patient. Identify and discuss at least one online, national, or local resource available to your at-risk client.
Communication Techniques: When interviewing a patient, I believe it is important to be open and nonjudgmental. It is important to create a comfortable atmosphere for the patients so that they can feel safe expressing themselves and trust that their information will remain confidential. I would use active listening techniques such as verbal validation, summarizing what has been said and making eye contact with my patient. Additionally, I would ask questions in an inviting way using words like “tell me” or “describe” rather than “what” or “why.”
Risk Assessment Instrument: In order to assess my patient’s health risks, I selected the “Social Determinants of Health Screening Tool” (SDHST). This screening tool was developed by Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) in 2010 and it provides a comprehensive assessment of an individual’s social determinants of health including access to care, education level, living circumstances and occupation.
Questions:
1) Describe your overall financial situation?
2) Are you currently employed? If yes, what type of employment do you have?
3) How often do you have access to nutritious foods?
4) What transportation options are available to you?
5) Do you have any supportive networks (e.g., family members or friends)?
Resource: The National Resource Center for Patient-Centered Medical Home is an online resource developed by HRSA which provides tools and resources for healthcare providers looking for ways to provide quality primary care through the medical home model. It includes information about evidence-based guidelines on how providers can effectively integrate social determinants into clinical practice settings as well as resources on referrals for community services related to SDHs including housing stability programs and nutrition assistance programs.