Q&A: Maximizing engagement in patients impacted by SDoH

Q: New electronic health record platforms can identify patients who are impacted by social determinants of health (SDoH), but it’s up to case managers to connect patients to resources that will help mitigate these factors. What approaches are most effective in maximizing patient engagement?

A: Case managers advocating for clients impacted by social determinants of health must be educated in short-term interventions, says Ellen Fink-Samnick, MSW, ACSW, LCSW, CCM, CRP, author of the HCPro book The Social Determinants of Health: Case Management’s Next Frontier.

“Motivational interviewing, SBIRT, the ABCs of Interviewing [available in The Social Determinants of Health: Case Management’s Next Frontier] must be part of their orientation and training,” says Fink-Samnick. “Implementation of models that speak to Wholistic Case Management that encompass whole-person healthcare are essential.”