How Do Curricula for Medical Students and Physician Learners Address the Social Determinants of Health? A Scoping Review

Loel S Solomon; Robert S Nocon; Jazmin Jimenez; Robert E Johnson; Carla Lupi; Jacqueline Xu; Ashti A Doobay-Persaud; Abraham Gallegos; Caleb Cohen

doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000005795

How Do Curricula for Medical Students and Physician Learners Address the Social Determinants of Health? A Scoping Review

Acad Med. 2024 Jul 1. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005795. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Loel S Solomon¹, Robert S Nocon², Jazmin Jimenez³, Robert E Johnson⁴, Carla Lupi⁵, Jacqueline Xu⁶, Ashti A Doobay-Persaud⁷, Abraham Gallegos⁸, Caleb Cohen⁹

Affiliations

¹ L.S. Solomon is professor, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California.
² R.S. Nocon is assistant professor, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California.
³ J. Jimenez is a research coordinator, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California.
⁴ R.E. Johnson is clinical and research support librarian, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
⁵ C. Lupi is professor and associate dean for assessment and evaluation, Department of Clinical Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California.
⁶ J. Xu is a medical student, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California.
⁷ A.A. Doobay-Persaud is associate professor and codirector, Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health, Department of Center for Global Health Education, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
⁸ A. Gallegos is assistant professor, Department of Health Systems Science, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California.
⁹ C. Cohen is a research analyst, Office of the Dean, Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, Pasadena, California.

PMID: 38950122
DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005795

Abstract

Purpose: Curricula about social determinants (drivers) of health (SDOH) are becoming more common in medical education, reflecting increasing expectations from payers and accreditors that health care systems do more to address health-related social needs and close pervasive health equity gaps. Few previous reviews have addressed the content of SDOH-related curricula. This review examines the scope and focus of medical education on SDOH and adjacent concepts.

Method: The authors screened 2,442 articles describing curricula delivered in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education settings between 2010 and 2023 using PubMed and 2 field-specific databases, yielding 289 articles. Data on course duration, pedagogic approach, assessment methods, and curricular content were extracted and analyzed. Curricular content was categorized using the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine's (NASEM's) 5As framework, which recommends 5 key activities health care can undertake to mitigate social risk (awareness, adjustment, assistance, alignment, and advocacy).

Results: A total of 289 articles were included in this review. Curricula covering SDOH-related concepts have increased over time. Of the included articles, 190 (65.7%) referenced at least 1 of NASEM's 5 key activities. Training on social risk screening and other awareness activities were noted most frequently (123 [42.6%]), followed by curricula on helping patients get social care (assistance; 86 [29.8%]) and providing social risk-adjusted health care (adjustment; 81 [28.0%]). Curricula on system- and policy-level activities, including alignment of health care and social care organizations (alignment), and advocacy (advocacy) were described less frequently (43 [14.9%] and 49 [17.0%], respectively). Ninety-four articles (32.5%) referenced only general information about SDOH without describing specific actions to adjust care or reduce social adversity.

Conclusions: NASEM's 5As framework provides a useful construct for characterizing SDOH-related curricula. Medical educators should teach not only the prevalence and pathophysiology of SDOH but also what physicians can do to address these factors.