"This is a guest post contributed by AnalyticsIQ - blends cognitive psychology with data science to help B2C and B2B organizations."

In our ever-evolving healthcare landscape, the importance of understanding and integrating Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) data into our healthcare systems cannot be understated. These determinant factors encompass the conditions in which we grow, work, live, and age and also shed light on broader systemic forces that shape our health and wellness. With studies pointing to a staggering 80% of an individual’s health being determined by factors outside the four walls of a doctor's office, the integration and accurate interpretation of SDOH data has become paramount.

What is SDOH?

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) refer to the complex interplay of the social, economic, environmental, cultural, and political factors that influence an individual's health outcomes. These factors often exist outside the direct scope of clinical healthcare but encompass various aspects of an individual's life and their surroundings that directly impact an individual’s ability reach their wellness potential.

Examples of key SDOH categories that impact patient health include:

• Access to Care
• Access to Technology
• Core Demographics
• Economic Insecurity
• Education
• Food Insecurity
• Geography (e.g., urban vs rural)
• Housing Insecurity
• Language Proficiency & barriers
• Social Isolation
• Substance Abuse
• Transportation Barriers

These non-clinical factors profoundly influence individual health outcomes, which is why accessible SDOH data is essential to make healthcare more comprehensive, equitable, and holistic for all.

Imagine a resident in a rural community who has limited access to fresh, nutritious food due to the area being a food desert. Or the patient without reliable transportation who might miss doctor appointments or be unable to pick up medications from the pharmacy as a result. Or even non-English speaking populations who may struggle to interpret medical advice or medication instructions.

When healthcare providers have a comprehensive understanding of a patient’s social circumstances outside the clinical, they are better equipped to offer effective treatments, interventions, and care plans tailored to individual needs. Food deserts could be eradicated through partnerships with grocery brands or distribution services. Transportation restrictions could be eliminated by offering pick up services to those in need. Cultural barriers could be addressed with a better understanding of population race, ethnicity, and language.

Driving this type of change and achieving better outcomes is possible with SDOH data that provides insight into these external factors. However, healthcare providers and the industry as a whole are faced with numerous obstacles when it comes to accessing and leveraging reliable SDOH data.

The Challenge of Capturing Comprehensive SDOH Data

One of the most pressing challenges facing modern healthcare is effectively capturing, integrating, and acting on Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) data within established healthcare systems. While the importance of SDOH is undeniable, its systematic implementation remains plagued with roadblocks including:

1. Lack of Standardized Data Collection: Currently, there is no universally accepted method for collecting SDOH data, so healthcare systems often find themselves charting new territories with minimal guidance. Each entity, be it a regional hospital or a national healthcare organization, adopts varied methodologies that they deem fit. Without a reliable data partner, data collection can be remarkably manual and challenging. This absence of standardization makes it difficult to collate, analyze, and act on data across different systems. People-based data like AnalyticsIQ’s SDOH data can provide insight into all aspects of patient lives and can be easily integrated and linked to medical data.
2. Patient Trust: Another significant barrier is the trust factor. Patients might be hesitant to share personal information about their living conditions, financial status, or other social factors due to the fear of being judged, misunderstood, or discriminated against. This apprehension can lead to inaccurate or incomplete data.
3. Resource Constraints: Efficiently collecting SDOH data demands significant resources. Without a trusted data provider, the data collection process often requires individuals who are trained to gather this information while ensuring accuracy and maintaining privacy. Post-collection, there's also the mammoth of data entry and analysis. These tasks not only take time – they can also get expensive.
4. Electronic Health Record (EHR) Limitations: Even with all the right data, EHR interoperability challenges remain a major hurdle. Ideally, EHRs serve as comprehensive repositories of patient data, including SDOH specifics. Yet outdated and standardized systems hinder efficiency and slow down the ability to access and leverage data. Without a reliable way to capture, transfer, and analyze patient data, valuable SDOH insights often end up buried in physician's notes. Integration providers like Intely provide standardized EHR interoperability solutions and remove the time-consuming and complicated implementations process.

As healthcare evolves, the systems supporting it need to evolve in tandem. In the face of these substantial challenges, the silver lining is the growing recognition of the value wide-ranging SDOH data can offer and the creation of solutions specifically designed to help.

External people-based data like that offered by AnalyticsIQ provides comprehensive, scalable, compliant, and predictive insight into an encompassing variety of social determinant categories. By using SDOH data, healthcare providers can gain a full and nuanced understanding of their patient populations and their lives outside the clinic in order to tailor healthcare services to meet specific needs. Leveraging compliant and reliable SDOH data sources like AnalyticsIQ allows healthcare providers to focus on providing the best care possible rather than the hassle of data collection.

With innovations and solutions like Intely integration solutions and AnalyticsIQ’s SDOH data, there's hope that the incorporation of SDOH data into healthcare will transition from being a challenge to a being norm and empower providers to drive better patient outcomes.

Holistic Care Through Informed Decisions

SDOH plays an undeniable role in shaping patient care, treatment plans, and overall health. However, as we've explored, the journey to achieving a comprehensive and actionable understanding of SDOH data is riddled with challenges, from the lack of standardized data collection to trust issues and EHR system limitations. These hurdles, while significant, are not insurmountable. With concerted efforts, innovations like those offered by Intely and AnalyticsIQ, and an industry-wide focus on the importance of this data, we can transition towards more informed, holistic healthcare.

While the road ahead might be paved with challenges, it's also filled with opportunities. Harnessing the power of SDOH data can create a future where every individual receives care tailored to their unique life circumstances. As healthcare providers, policymakers, and data and technology specialists come together, the vision of health equity and informed care for all becomes increasingly attainable.