You are seeing this 50-year-old male with new-onset diabetes. You confirmed the diagnosis based on his symptoms and blood work he brought with him. You gave him a prescription for diabetic medications and a self-test glucometer, and also gave him instructions about healthy diet and lifestyle.
He paid you and left your office. He didn’t show up at his next appointment to see you a couple of weeks later.
In your opinion, how much is the contribution of this clinical care you provided to his overall outcome (morbidity and mortality)?
- 80%
- 50%
- 20%
- 5%
If you are curious about the answer but not sure, then I ask you to explore the concept of “Social determinants of health, or SDOH”, and then you will know the answer.
I invite you to look at this very nice and short PDF document to further clarify the concept of health equity and SDOH.
Also, I invite you to take the poll at the end (answers anonymous). Also, I am curious about your comments about the topics and hearting input from colleagues practicing in different parts of the globe.
Most important to factor in the person sitting in front of you and *how* you can help treat them and *how* the patient can use/access treatments and not just prescribe treatments blindly.