Original Texas public health case study: Utilizing students to move upstream with social determinants of health screening

The United States is behind other industrialized nations on most health-related rankings whereas the United States healthcare expenditure is greater than most industrialized nations. To respond to this crisis, one healthcare reform theme is to identify social determinants of health (SDH) that may lead providers to develop plans to improve patients' health outcomes. This study introduces a pilot program to demonstrate a model of utilizing medical students to identify and address the SDH in an outpatient primary care setting. SDH are nonclinical factors that influence patients' health outcomes and reflect the macro environment where people live, work, and play. Addressing the SDH of patient populations can enhance the patient-centered, community-oriented primary care model. We anticipate that more health professionals and academicians will train students to identify and address the SDH of their patients and that this study will address questions related to feasibility.