Abstract
Community pharmacies’ ability to intervene on social determinants of health: best practices and lessons learned from South Carolina
APHA 2022 Annual Meeting and Expo
Social determinants of health (SDoH; e.g., stress, social isolation, food insecurity) are key factors in shaping health, healthcare access, and medication adherence. SDoH barriers have been linked to higher chronic disease risk and lower life expectancy, which highlights the need for SDoH interventions in South Carolina. The state ranks among the highest (20%) in chronic diseases (rates of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes) and among the lowest (20%) of states in life expectancy, disability adjusted life years, and premature mortality. Community pharmacies are critical access points to our state’s most vulnerable residents and represent a virtually untapped resource for bridging SDoH gaps. Yet, intervening on SDoH via community pharmacy practices has been slow, with few programs designed to address SDoH barriers. To fill this gap, community-focused researchers at the University of South Carolina partnered with the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network – South Carolina (CPESN-SC) to create and implement a SDoH program for community pharmacy patients. Our 3-year program tested a strategy to train community pharmacy teams on key SDoH, on assessing and creating SDoH care plans, and intervening on selected social determinants to improve patient health. This strategy piloted a way to formalize many of the activities that community pharmacies are already doing and leveraged their experience, skills, and social trust to promote health in their communities. This presentation will introduce the program and provide insight on best practices for future intervention projects that were developed over the course of the program’s implementation.