PQA Creates New Social Determinants of Health Resource Guide

The PQA Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Resource Guide profiles 20 real-world SDOH services that are promising for improving the quality and safety of medication use. Created by the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA), the guide focuses on SDOH screenings, referrals and interventions conducted by or involving pharmacists or pharmacies.

Embedded in the community as the most accessible healthcare providers, pharmacists are uniquely positioned to connect individuals to SDOH resources. The guide covers services that address at least one of seven SDOH barriers:

• Cost of Medications
• Cultural or Literacy Barriers
• Decent, Safe and Affordable Housing
• Food Security
• Screening for Unmet Needs
• Social Isolation
• Transportation

“This is the first resource guide that catalogues pharmacist and pharmacy-centered SDOH services,” PQA Education Director Amanda Ryan, PharmD, BCGP, CPHQ, said. “It provides health care professionals with ideas and examples of SDOH services they can implement in many different settings and adapt to their communities’ specific needs.”

The guide provides information on each service’s location, scale, target population, care setting, intervention and outcomes. PQA plans to expand and update the guide as new examples are identified and as existing examples deliver new results.

“PQA members are among the nation’s leaders in addressing SDOH barriers through innovative patient-focused approaches to care,” PQA Chief Executive Officer Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, said. “This resource guide provides practical, real-world solutions to inform and support improvements in addressing health disparities and delivering more equitable care and outcomes across the continuum of care.”

Access the resource guide here. PQA welcomes feedback on the guide and suggestions on SDOH services which can be highlighted in future editions. Feedback can be provided to PQA by email at Education@PQAalliance.org. Interventions or services can be recommended for inclusion in the guide through a form on PQA’s website.

This activity was supported by an independent medical education grant from Merck & Co. and by Humana, whose mission is to help people achieve lifelong wellbeing.

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SOURCE: PQA