Reflection: An ecologic model of social emergency medicine

Emergency physicians are natural advocates, interfacing with all parts of the medical system, and are eyewitnesses to the health effects of social inequalities. As advocates, emergency physicians can use their clinical knowledge and experience to inform and influence not only hospital initiatives but also social and economic policy. Although emergency physicians already advocate for their patients daily, there are opportunities for them to be advocates at other levels beyond the emergency department (ED). At Inventing Social Emergency Medicine, we discussed examples of and opportunities for advocacy by emergency physicians in a variety of arenas, ranging from the individual and interpersonal to health systems, community partnerships, and national policies.

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