Integrating social determinants of health (SDH) data into EHR systems may help providers address the economic and social risks that negatively affect patient health.
However, a recent Annals of Family Medicine study by Gold et al. identified several barriers inhibiting the integration of SDH data into EHR clinical documentation.
A team of researchers from Kaiser Permanente, OCHIN, Multnomah County Health Department, Cowlitz Family Health Center, and University of California San Francisco implemented a suite of EHR tools designed to collect SDH data at three Pacific Northwest community health centers as part of a pilot study testing the effectiveness of EHR-based SDH documentation.
“The argument for such documentation is compelling: SDH profoundly impact health, so providers should know about social factors that might increase their patients’ health risks, or hinder their ability to follow care recommendations,” stated researchers…..more