In this episode, guest host Dr. Leslie Hinyard explores the importance of collecting social determinants of health data from patients to assess needs and the best practices to collect this data in an oncology setting. We enlist expert insights from Wenora Johnson, a cancer survivor and patient advocate, and Krista Nelson, an Oncology Social Worker at Providence Health and Services and past President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers. TRANSCRIPT The guest on this podcast episode has no disclosures to declare. Dr. Leslie Hinyard: Hello, everyone, and welcome to ASCO's Social Determinants of Health and Cancer Care Podcast. I'm Dr. Leslie Hinyard, Chair of the Department of Health and Clinical Outcomes Research and Executive Director of the Advanced Health Data Institute at the St. Louis University School of Medicine. I'm here with Krista Nelson, past President of the Association of Community Cancer Centers and an Oncology Social Worker at Providence Health and Services. And also, Wenora Johnson, a cancer survivor, and patient advocate. Thank you both so much for joining us in this conversation on data gathering, the patient's perspective. And we're going to dive right in. Social Determinants of Health, or SDOH, as we like to refer to it, represent nonmedical factors that affect health, that is, the characteristics of where we live, work, and play that influence our health. These social determinants are only recently being explicitly considered in medical context. Currently, there's no consensus on what questions should be asked of patients, who should be asking questions about SDOH, and how the information will be used to improve patient care. In this episode, we will be discussing the importance of collecting SDOH data from patients in order to assess needs. We hope to discuss best practices to collect SDOH data in an oncology setting from both the patient and provider perspectives. Now, I'd like to start with you, Krista. Social Determinants of Health have been a topic at the forefront of public health conversations, especially with COVID-19. Can you tell our listeners how you define this term? Krista Nelson: Yes. Thank you so much for checking in and for this opportunity to talk about Social Determinants of Health. As an oncology social worker, we've known that Social Determinants of Health impact patients' outcomes, and we see it every day. And the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine came out in 2019, right before the COVID-19 pandemic, they came out with a report talking about the importance of integrating social needs care into the delivery of health care to improve the nation's health. So, when I think about Social Determinants of Health, just like you had just said, it's the environment or the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, worship, live, and age. And it's how all those forces and systems shape the conditions of their daily life. So, when I think of cancer patients and Social Determinants of Health, I think of socioeconomic status, education, job security, food stability, housing, social inclusion, and all the environmental factors that really construct a patient's environment. Dr. Leslie Hinyard: Thank you so much. Wenora, as a cancer survivor and a patient advocate, how do you define social needs and why is it important for patients to self-report these social needs? Wenora Johnson: That is a great question. And then I actually look at it in four different ways. I think first and foremost about my psychological needs. And those needs are just basic for human survival, like food, water, clothing, housing, and then finally just overall health and quality of life. That second one is going to be my safety needs. Protection from violence and theft, emotional stability, and well-being. And then what we're all feeling a pinch of lately is financial security. And then my third one is love and belonging needs, having close bonds with our family, friends, physical and emotional intimacy, interacting with social groups, all of this provides us with the feelings of love and connection we need not only just to survive, but to thrive off of. And then finally, fulfillment of our full potential. This can be in just caring for others, improving things like our artistic abilities like cooking, music, athletics, and then experiencing new things in life, traveling, things like that, that just do a lot for our physical psyche. So, there's so much when it comes to social determinants that can affect us as patients. And self-reporting these needs are just essential and can be at the same time difficult for patients to do. Dr. Leslie Hinyard: Now, speaking of difficult things that patients can do, Krista, in your work, what are the most commonly reported needs or social risks that you encounter reported by patients? Krista Nelson: Well, I really loved what Wenora just said, and I think that really articulates exactly what I'm hearing day-to-day in...
