Social Determinants of Health
People with communication disorders have worse health and health outcomes than those of people without communication disorders—social determinants of health (SDOH) are primary contributors to these disparities. Audiologists, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and communication sciences and disorders (CSD) clinicians may screen for SDOH, make referrals and connect clients to resources, engage in interprofessional practice, and apply SDOH information to practice.
ASHA's launched its SDOH resources in October 2023 as part of the Association's Strategic Objective #4: Enhance service delivery across the continuum of care to increase value and access to services. The web resource contains (a) information about SDOH and the protective factors, risks, and unmet needs that result from them; (b) the clinician's role in addressing SDOH factors at an individual level; (c) tools and resources like screeners and ways to access community resources; and (d) ways to learn more. Future projects include reimbursement information and case scenarios that guide the user through identifying relevant SDOH and factors and responding in a way that enables them to explore their own local resources and networks.
Contact Brooke Hatfield at healthservices@asha.org.
This initiative was submitted on April 18, 2024.