Readiness of Pharmacists as Providers of Social Determinants of Health and Call to Action

Abstract

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are defined as the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age. SDOH has an enormous impact on achieving the goals set by Healthy People 2030. With their education and training, pharmacists are in an ideal position to provide SDOH services. Community pharmacists should take innovative approaches in collaboration with the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network to develop standard protocols for SDOH and reimbursements for these services. Pharmacists not being recognized nationally as healthcare providers is the major barrier to the implementation and expansion of pharmacist-provided SDOH programs. Thus, approval of the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 2759) is crucial to overcoming this barrier. This legislation is designed to increase access to pharmacists who are primary care providers for rural and underserved populations. These practice changes align well with the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy strategic priorities 1, 3, and 4. Moreover, one of the most important recommendations in the Pharmacy Forecast 2022 is to develop standardized SDOH protocols and integrate them into the daily workflow of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. However, are pharmacists adequately prepared and motivated to engage in practices designed to mitigate SDOH challenges that impact patients’ health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risk? This commentary urges pharmacy education programs to implement curricular modifications and pharmacy practice professionals to advocate, develop and implement best practice models for providing SDOH services.