Social determinants of health to be taught in med school

(HealthDay)—A new policy implemented by the American Medical Association (AMA) supports integrating more training on the social determinants of health into undergraduate medical education, according to a report published by the AMA.

To ensure medical educators have the appropriate knowledge, the new policy also includes supporting faculty development. Under the policy, medical schools will also evaluate effectiveness of teachings and gather data on medical students' perspectives. At a recent Google Hangout hosted by the AMA, educators shared what their schools are doing to address challenges in teaching the social determinants of health.

According to the report, some of these schools are part of the AMA's Accelerating Change in Medical Education Initiative and are addressing health care disparities. For example, the University of California Davis School of Medicine includes an innovative admissions and recruitment strategy to select students from diverse backgrounds who will be able to practice in underserved communities. Other programs include addressing the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population, and understanding ethnogeriatrics.

"After the AMA works to help medical schools integrate teachings of social determinants of health into their curricula, study will begin on how such teachings can be folded into graduate medical education and continuing medical education," according to the report.

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