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Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

Social Determinants of Health in the Medical Home

Professional Resource Brief

Summary of the Evidence-Based Literature

Andermann A; CLEAR Collaboration. Taking Action on the Social Determinants of Health in Clinical Practice: a Framework for Health Professionals. CMAJ. 2016 Dec 6;188(17-18):E474-E483. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.160177. Epub 2016 Aug 8. PMID: 27503870; PMCID: PMC5135524.
This article explains the background of SDOH, describes how SDOH are linked to health outcomes, and provides strategies for how health care workers can take action on SDOH at the patient, practice, and community levels.

Evidence-Based Strategies and Guidelines

5 Ways to Incorporate Social Determinants of Health to Improve Patient Care
This summary of a AAPA webinar examines methods for seeking new information and data about patients, particularly when treating underserved and minority populations.

Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity
This brief by the Kaiser Family Foundation provides an overview of SDOH and emerging initiatives to address them. 

Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health
This report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine presents five approaches—awareness, adjustment, assistance, alignment, and advocacy to integrate SDOH into practice. The mogograph is summarized in Five Ways Healthcare Organizations Can Address Social Determinants of Health.

Patient-Centered Medical Homes: How Public Health Practitioners Can Support PCMHs
This issue brief from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a description of PCMHs and gives four strategies on how public health practitioners can support PCMHs through SDOH.

Social Determinants of Health 101 for Health Care: Five Plus Five
This discussion paper from the National Academy of Medicine presents five factors that are known about SDOH and how to address them along with five questions and answers about how to operationalize SDOH in health care.


Related MCH Digital Library Resources

Related NCEMCH Resources

At NCEMCH, we infuse equity throughout our projects. The MCH Navigator focused on competency-based strategies and trainings to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion across the workforce. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning Spotlight provides learning opportunities and supplemental resources to support the Health Equity Framework. In collaboration with the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health (ATMCH), the Navigator developed an on-demand webinar on The Water of Systems Change Approach: Connecting the Dots for Health Equity, Racial Justice, and Social Determinants of Health. In collaboration with the National MCH Workforce Development Center, staff have compiled a resource page on health equity and engaging people with lived experiences. The first year of MCHwork (all three issues) are equity specific and also the first issue from year two is focused on Lived Experience. As a component of the MCH Evidence Center, NCEMCH has developed a summary video of What Title V Agencies are Doing to Advance Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health. Finally, users can access the latest online trainings on equity with this Quick Finds link.


For more information on this topic, use the MCH Digital Library Advanced Search.

Authors: John Richards, MA, Lan Le, MPA, August 2023

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.