Patient Scenario

You work for a home health agency and get the following documentation from a physical therapist (PT) on your staff.

• Patient is 68 years old and was recently released from hospital after surgery following a stroke.
• Review of medication includes insulin.
• Patient has been diabetic for 17 years.
• History: While assessing the patient’s mobility, PT sees patient is running low on food to take with insulin and refrigerator isn’t running. Patient says he can’t pay his power bill, and the power was turned off.

Based on this information, you can see how SDOH factors like employment, economic stability, food and nutrition, housing, physical activity, and utility assistance needs are affecting his health.