LibGuides: Physician Assistant Studies: Health Disparities & Social Determinants of Health

Culturally Competent Healthcare

What are health disparities?

Differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups.

What are social determinants of health?

Social, economic,and political conditions that influence the health of individuals and populations.

How to Improve Screening for Social Determinants of Health
Kevin B. O'Reilly, American Medical Association (2019)
NIH-Funded Study Highlights the Financial Toll of Health Disparities in the United States
Study provides national and state-level estimates of the economic burden of health disparities by race and ethnicity and educational levels. (2023)

From the AMA- Social Determinants of Health: What Medical Students Need to Kow

Social Determinants of Health
Help to grasp how these factors affect a patient’s health, how to ask patients the right questions about them, and how to help improve health outcomes and health equity for all patients.

Additional Resources

American Indian and Alaska Native Culture Card
Guide produced by SAMHSA that enhances cultural competence when serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
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Covers regional differences, cultural customs, spirituality, communication styles, the role of veterans and older adults, and health disparities.
Equity of Care Toolkits for Hospitals & Healthcare Organizations
As hospitals and health systems tackle these challenges locally, leaders from national health care organizations have come together to create a national call to action to eliminate health care disparities and improve quality of care for each and every patient.
Health, United States 2015 with Feature on Racial & Ethnic Health Disparities
From the National Center of Health Statistics
Health, United States 2016
2016 focuses on long-term trends in health. The report also contains trend tables in health status and determinants.
Health Disparities Topics Page
From MedlinePlus
Healthy People 2030 Objectives: Social Determinants of Health
From the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Policy Research Center
The NCAI Policy Research Center has relationships with various communities, scholars, organizations, and policy research institutions
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
From the National Institutes of Health
Planning Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
From AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality)
Think Cultural Health
This site, sponsored by the Office of Minority Health, offers the latest resources and tools to promote cultural and linguistic competency in health care.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health
The Office of Minority Health is dedicated to improving the health and racial and ethic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.
What are Social Determinants of Health?
Learning module from the American Medical Association. Create a free account to utilize this tool.

Culturally Competent Healthcare

The center of the wheel represents internal dimensions that are usually most permanent or visible. The outside of the wheel represents dimensions that are acquired and change over the course of a lifetime. The combinations of all of these dimensions influence our values, beliefs, behaviors, experiences and expectations and make us all unique as individuals.

From Johns Hopkins University & Medicine

Cleveland Clinic Diversity Toolkit
A patient care guide designed to provide clinicians a brief overview of culture, beliefs, customs, communication preferences, etc. from Aboriginal to Zoroastrian. Includes a Glossary, Examples of Cultural Differences, and Clear Communication Strategies.

Social Determinants of Health

Current Published Content

Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services — Advancing Health with CLAS
From the NEJM, March 2014
Racial Disparities in Stroke Incidence and Death
From the NIH: Research Matters June 2016
How I Incorporated Cultural Competency in My Practice
Barbara L. McAneny, MD, American Medical Association, 2015
How Health Care Organizations Can Best Support Communities They Serve
American Medical Association, 2019

Reducing Surgical Disparities and Improving Health Incomes

Researched Encouraged to Help Reduce Surgical Health Disparities
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched an initiative to support research to better understand and address disparities in surgical care and outcomes for disadvantaged populations. The new surgical disparities research program will involve collaborations among several NIH institutes and centers, along with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Full funding levels will be determined by the number of meritorious grant applications received.
Setting a National Agenda for Surgical Disparities Research: Recommendations From the National Institutes of Health and American College of Surgeons Summit.
Published in JAMA Surgery

Food Insecurity Assessment Tool

Food Insecurity Assessment Tool and Resource List
Produced by the IHS Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention, 2015

Equality vs. Equity

Visualizing Health Equity: One Size Does Not Fit All Infographics
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

EthnoMed

EthnoMed.Org

EthnoMed is an ethnic medicine website from the University of Washington containing medical and cultural information about immigrant and refugee groups.

EthnoMed was designed to be used in clinics by care providers in the few minutes before seeing a patient in clinic.

Includes patient education.

Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Office of Minority Health

In April, 2016 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health released data on the quality of care received by patients with Medicare Advantage by racial or ethnic group. Data can be accessed here. Updated April 2021: Racial, Ethnic, & Gender Disparities in Health Care in Medicare Advantage.

The EveryONE Project Toolkit
Guide to social needs screening tool and resources (AAFP).
The Feasibility of Screening for Social Determinants of Health: Seven Lessons Learned
From the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
A Practical Approach to Screening for Social Determinants of Health
From the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
What Evidence Do We Need Before Recommending Routine Screening for Social Determinants of Health?
From the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)

Sexual & Gender Minorities Formally Designated as a Health Disparity

Mounting evidence indicates that SGM populations have less access to health care and higher burdens of certain diseases, such as depression, cancer, and HIV/AIDS.
From the NIH October 6, 2016

Research Endeavors

Strong Heart Study of American Indians
The Strong Heart Study (SHS) is a study of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among American Indian men and women supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. This is the largest epidemiologic study of American Indians ever undertaken.
Cardiovascular Disease Among Alaska Native Peoples
Although Alaska Native peoples were thought to be protected from cardiovascular disease (CVD), data now show that this is not the case, despite traditional lifestyles and high omega-3 fatty acid intake. In this article, the current understanding of CVD and its risk factors among Alaska Native peoples, particularly among the Yupik and Inupiat populations, will be discussed, using data from three major studies funded by the National Institutes of Health: Genetics of Coronary Artery Disease among Alaska Natives (GOCADAN), Center for Native Health Research (CANHR), and Education and Research Towards Health (EARTH). Data from these epidemiologic studies have focused concern on CVD and its risk factors among Alaska Native peoples. This review will summarize the findings of these three principal studies and will suggest future directions for research and clinical practice.
Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
This study seeks to validate methods to detect cardiovascular disease before it has produced clinical signs and symptoms in African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Americans of European heritage.
Jackson Heart Study of African Americans
The mission of the Jackson Heart Study is to examine the reasons for the greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease among African Americans and uncover new approaches for reducing this health disparity.
The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study: Sample, Design, and Procedures
This multicenter epidemiologic study in Hispanic/Latino populations aims to determine the role of acculturation in the prevalence and development of disease, and to identify risk factors playing a protective or harmful role among Hispanics/Latinos.