SDOH & Health Outcomes
Patient-level
Health equity research shows differences between groups based on their race or ethnicity, gender, and age in terms of:
- Chronic disease incidence and management
- Comorbid conditions
- Life expectancy
- Health literacy
The more we measure SDOH, the more opportunities we have to intervene and improve everyone’s health, while reducing disparities.
Facility-level
SDOH also influence patients’ interactions with the health care system and their health outcomes, as well as reimbursements for practitioners, specifically for patients getting Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
We see evidence of disparities in:
- Access to care
- Quality of care
- Prevention
Understanding SDOH will help facilities as they seek to provide holistic care to patients and remove barriers to health and well-being.
System-level
SDOH influence the underlying quality of life we all enjoy. Marginalized people sometimes suffer ill effects from disparities in:
- Neighborhood safety
- Community resources
- Access to quality, stable housing
These and other community- and societal-level risk factors influence the health and well-being of people, as well as their community.