Twelve tips for teaching social determinants of health in medicine

Abstract

Medical students must be taught to think critically about the social and cultural issues impacting health, and the intersection with the basic biology and clinical skills. Teaching social determinants of health in medicine requires keeping the material concrete and applicable. Educators must engage students in active learning strategies, reflection, and focus on how to make the material relevant to the clinical care of patients.

Mental health care among blacks in America: Confronting racism and constructing solutions

“…While some medical schools have courses on racial disparities in health, critical race theory to help contextualize racial health disparities is not a requirement. In fact, in most medical school curricula, race is framed as biological or as a biological risk factor, implying that racial disparities in health are innate and can be explained without implicating racism . This fosters pathologizing race rather than racism, whereas racism is the risk factor.…”

“…In fact, in most medical school curricula, race is framed as biological or as a biological risk factor, implying that racial disparities in health are innate and can be explained without implicating racism. [30][31][32][33] This fosters pathologizing race rather than racism, whereas racism is the risk factor. Naming racism in medical education, health services research and policy, and how it is distinct from race as a category can advance efforts to reduce racial health inequities.…”

Flipping social determinants on its head: Medical student perspectives on the flipped classroom and simulated patients to teach social determinants of health

“…Transformative learning, which informed the development of the teaching innovation, would also account for this longer-term goal of improved clinical practice (Kearsley 2015). The task of taking a purposeful social history also gave the session immediate applicability to hospital and community clerkships students were undertaking at the same time (Martinez et al 2014). It is noteworthy that students primarily motivated by exams may reflect curricula which teach to exams.…”

“…Social determinants of health are defined as the conditions in which people live impacting upon their health and life chances (Martinez et al 2014). World Health Organization and Institute of Health Equity reports emphasise the impact of inequalities caused by these social factors, and the role of all healthcare professionals in tackling them (WHO 2016, Marmot 2010.…”

An Adapted Framework for Incorporating the Social Determinants of Health into Predoctoral Dental Curricula

“…15 Multipronged approaches suggested to aid in teaching this complex concept to predoctoral dental students have included didactic instruction, community-based learning, student mentorship, teaching the role of advocacy in oral health, community partnership, research, and self-relection. 16,17 In the education domain, we provide four subdomains along with examples from academic dental institutions that can assist in the integrated implementation of SDH. The sub-domains are universalization of SDH in dental curricula, population diversity, health inequities, and cultural competence/cultural sensitivity.…”