Commentary: Screening, education, and advocacy on social determinants of health: The complete package for treating the whole patient

The commentary by Hsieh on social emergency medicine is a welcome contribution to the practice of emergency medicine. He offers a framework for how emergency providers can approach patients in a holistic way by considering the social determinants of health. He rightly emphasizes the importance of social screening for clinical care; it is also important to understand our patients’ social context to help advocate for them. This commentary outlines steps that emergency providers can take, including screening, diagnosis, and referral.

This article is part of a special supplement: Inventing Social Emergency Medicine: A Consensus Conference to Establish the Intellectual Underpinnings of Social Emergency Medicine.