The Rise of Screening for Non-Medical Drivers of Health

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Did you know that your Zip code is more important than your genetic code in predicting how long you will live?

That’s right – where you live can have a big impact on your health.

In fact, our health is influenced by a variety of non-medical factors, such as the conditions in which we are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are known as non-medical drivers of health.

Addressing non-medical drivers of health is key to improving health for Latinos and all people. Numerous studies suggest that non-medical drivers of health accounts for between 30-55% of health outcomes and non-medical drivers of health influences individual health behaviors, which account for another 30% of health outcomes.

Fortunately, healthcare systems are placing more emphasis on screening patients for non-medical drivers of health.

This means that when patients come to medical appointments, they may be asked a series of questions or to fill out a questionnaire that can help healthcare providers identify non-medical challenges to healthcare, such as lack of options to obtain healthy food, lack of transportation to maintain employment, or lack of access to affordable medication.

We at Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio are spotlighting why screening for non-medical drivers of health is so important and how screening can help improve health outcomes.

Non-Medical Drivers of Health and Latinos

Latinos face a variety of social, environmental, and economic challenges in their neighborhoods and communities that create social need and negatively impact health. These include low wages and limited employee benefits; underperforming schools; lack of medical providers; unstable and unaffordable housing; low access to nutritious food; unreliable transportation options; and unsafe streets and parks.

These inequities are the root causes of Latino health differences, such as higher rates of obesity and diabetes, certain cancers, and infectious diseases like COVID-19.

Because these challenges stem from decades of policies that concentrate poverty and impact Latinos and other non-White populations, we must shift from individualist thinking to structuralist thinking to improve health.

One step in that direction is non-medical drivers of health screening among medical providers.

The Need for Non-Medical Drivers of Health Screenings

While going to the doctor is certainly good for one’s health, traditional medical care does not account for the needs that arise from health challenges in our Zip codes.

Non-medical drivers of health screenings can help medical providers better understand those needs and their root causes.

A non-medical drivers of health screening tool is a questionnaire that gathers information from patients about their general needs in addition to their immediate health needs.

When patients are screened for needs at their medical appointments, healthcare providers can identify ways to address those needs and their root causes.

“Health systems can benefit by understanding the [non-medical drivers] in the communities in which their patients live,” according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. “In addition to giving them insights into the lived experiences of their patients, health systems that learn about the [non-medical drivers of health] of the communities they serve may become inspired to engage in community-level efforts to address those [non-medical drivers of health], such as establishing farmers markets in food deserts, safe exercise space, or affordable housing.”

In this way, non-medical drivers of health screening has the power to identify and address the causes of needs which can dramatically change patient health outcomes.

Take ThedaCare’s community paramedicine program, for example.

ThedaCare, a nonprofit health system in Wisconsin, created the program to address needs among patients who frequently visit the emergency room and are identified as needing additional health services.

As part of the program, paramedics use an non-medical drivers of health electronic screening tool to identify and provide at-home services to patients in need.

The screening tool prompts paramedics to ask patients about challenges to healthcare or environmental hazards that may be present in their home.

For one patient, who experienced up to 30 seizures a day, ThedaCare’s paramedics identified two needs: a lack of air conditioning, which aggravated his condition, and poor medication management.

ThedaCare paramedics addressed the needs that contributed to this patient’s poor health by helping manage his medications and connecting him to community air conditioning services.

As a result, the patient stopped having seizures and was able to resume normal activities in his community.

In addition to the community paramedic program, ThedaCare has also created a community health plan and a community advisory board to address systemic issues that contribute to poor health.

Through these actions, ThedaCare can address both needs and the causes of those needs.

An Essential Tool in Healthcare

Non-medical drivers of health screening has the power to address a variety of health-related needs for Latinos and all people.

“Health is far more than what can be provided in a doctor’s office,” said Dr. Amelie Ramirez, director of Salud America! and its home base, the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. “In the same way that a team of doctors develops a patient treatment plan to treat cancer, a team of doctors and community services should develop a patient treatment plan that includes addressing needs and their root causes.”

You can help promote non-medical drivers of health screening.

Select your county and get a Report Card by Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio.

In your Report Card, you will see maps, data, and gauges to compare public health issues to the rest of your state and nation.

You can email your Report Card to local leaders to stimulate community change. Use the data in your materials or share on social media to raise awareness about the importance of non-medical drivers of health screenings.

Get your Report Card!