Provider Perspectives on the Collection of Social Determinants of Health

Abstract

Social determinants of health (SDH) impact health outcomes. Medical centers have begun to collect SDH data, urged by government and scientific entities. Provider perspectives on collecting SDH are unknown. The aim is to understand differences in views and preferences according to provider characteristics. A cross-sectional survey of University of Miami clinical faculty was conducted in late 2016. The survey contained 11 questions: 8 demographic and departmental responsibilities questions and 3 Likert scale questions to capture collection and use of SDH perspectives. The main outcome was whether providers thought the benefit of collecting SDH outweighs the burden and risks. In all, 240 faculty members were included. The majority were men (64%), with a mean age of 51 years. Among participants, 53.5% were non-Hispanic white, 32% were Hispanic, 5% were Black/African American, and 5% were Asian. The majority agreed that SDH are important predictors of health outcomes and quality of care (83%). When comparing minority to nonminority faculty, 25% believed that SDH should only be available to PCPs, compared to 8% of nonminorities ( P < 0.01). In a multivariate model, belonging to a racial ethnic minority was the only characteristic associated with believing that benefits of collecting SDH outweigh the risks (odds ratio 1.87, 95% confidence interval 1.02- 3.5) after adjusting for age, sex, minority status, health care provider type, type of responsibilities, and department. This study reveals that although most providers of a health system believe social risks impact health outcomes and quality metrics, the buy-in to collect SDH varies according to the racial/ethnic composition of the faculty.