Abstract

Social determinants of health (SDoH) can increase patient morbidity and mortality. Providers that utilize screening tools in primary care can give insight into patients’ needs and coordinate potential resources within the community. Many social factors affect mortality, including socioeconomic status, level of education, poor social support, and racial segregation. These factors almost equal the number of deaths caused by health morbidities such as heart attacks, cardiovascular incidents, and lung cancer (Wark et al., 2021). Increasing awareness and knowledge of these issues with proper screening tools and community resources could improve health by building rapport and bringing light to resources needed by patients. (Drake et al., 2021). Understanding the screening process performed by patients’ primary care providers across multiple settings provides insight into barriers of optimal health. It can show the positive effects of implementing clinical practice changes such as screening to decrease adverse patient outcomes. The project aimed to elicit responses from 500 providers, including medical doctors, nurse practitioners, doctors of osteopathy, and physician assistants across central and eastern Mississippi, using a quantitative questionnaire regarding their use of SDoH screening tools. Utilizing SDoH screening tools in primary care allows for further questioning regarding referral processes and understanding specific patients’ SDoH needs. The researchers assumed that primary care providers do not utilize a standard screening tool or routinely implement changes to management plans based on positive screenings for SDoH. The researchers of this study also considered multiple practice barriers within the primary care setting that could potentially prevent providers from implementing necessary patient accommodation.

Degree

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Graduate Nursing

Degree Date

2023

First Advisor

Dr. Lindsay Kemp

Second Advisor

Dr. Shonda Phelon

Third Advisor

Dr. Beth Turner

Document Type

Thesis

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