Social Determinants of Health Case Studies

Seeking Health Equity: Examining Racism as a Social Determinant of Health

This module presents two case studies based on real-world, actual events that demonstrate the significant and negative impact of racism on the health of individuals and populations. It is vitally important for future health professionals to understand the significance of racism as a social determinant of health if they are to help achieve health equity across racial and ethnic groups. Students need to increase their ability to examine historical factors leading to racial inequities and acquire the tools necessary to begin incorporating this information into their work. Participants review four videos and answer assessment questions. Additional teaching tools addressing institutional racism are available through the APTR Anti-Racism Policy and Toolkit titled, “Role of Academia in Combatting Structural Racism in the United States”.

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Addressing the Effects of Psychological Trauma in a Community Using a Social Determinants of Health Approach

This teaching case study examines psychological trauma in a community context and the impacts, both positive and negative, of SDOH. Healthy People 2020 views people residing in communities with large-scale psychological trauma as an emerging issue in mental health and mental health disorders ( Healthy People, 2017). The case study, which focuses on Newark, New Jersey, addresses three of the five key determinants of health: social and community context, health and health care, and neighborhood and built environment. Upstream interventions designed to improve mental health and well-being that support trauma-informed care are analyzed. The use of Newark as the case study setting allows a real-life exploration of each of these three key determinants of health. Learners work together on the four-part case and access and share information resources designed to enhance the quality of the learning experience.

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Targeting the Social Determinants of Health in Geriatric Populations

This module includes three clinical case videos demonstrating a variety of geriatric patient circumstances. Participants view each case with attention to the medical care provided, as well as the impact of SDOH in each scenario. The provider in each case models ways of integrating SDOH into the patient’s care plan to optimize the patient’s health and functionality. Students are encouraged to discuss the complexities of the growing aging population’s health needs as they relate to SDOH, assess local resources, services, programs and policies, and reflect on their own assumptions and biases, so they can ultimately improve patient care.