60 Minute Seminar

Educational Programs, Workshops, Seminars, New Idea Session, and Small Group Discussions

E-015 - Leveraging Patient Social History to Improve Care: A Collaborative Effort

Presenter(s)

• RG

  Roseanna Graham, D.D.S., M.A., PhD

  Columbia University College of Dental Medicine
• SW

  Stacey Whalen, LMSW

  Columbia University College of Dental Medicine

A patient's social history can greatly influence care delivery and treatment outcomes. Social history includes factors such as life stressors (unemployment, legal issues, family concerns), living situation and education level. Incorporating social history questions into the patient assessment and medical history evaluation provides an efficient way to gather information that can be used to facilitate and improve care. Participants in this seminar will explore how social history can be routinely assessed, how it can be used to foster collaboration with social work colleagues and others within the healthcare team, and how it can be used to improve outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the social determinants of health and how they can influence patient outcomes.
• Incorporate social history questions effectively into medical and dental history taking.
• Identify the role social workers can play in a health care team.