Social Drivers of Health in Metastatic Breast Cancer

There is an increasing awareness of the need to screen for a broad array of social drivers of health (SDOH) in the healthcare setting. Social drivers of health refer to the conditions in which people live, work, and play. SDOH are defined as external factors including social, economic, and educational factors as well as infrastructure and healthcare. SDOH can affect an individual’s health outcomes, functioning, and quality-of-life. Research shows health outcomes are influenced by various elements such as genes, health behaviors (e.g., smoking, diet, and exercise), social and environmental factors, and access to healthcare.

SDOH exists at the individual and community level. In recent years, healthcare organizations have begun assessing patients’ social needs to pilot interventions to help meet those needs. Organizations that take the time to learn about the communities where patients live, work, and play, have a better chance of helping patients make better health decisions by adapting recommendations to fit their lives.

ACCC has developed an educational initiative called Social Drivers of Health in Metastatic Breast Cancer. The goal of this work is to identify barriers to equitable access to metastatic breast cancer care and the impacts of social determinants of health for patients with metastatic breast cancer. ACCC seeks to determine whether and to what degree assessing and addressing social determinants of health is linked with selection of guideline-concordant treatment choices for patients with HR+ HER2- metastatic breast cancer; and to assess alignment of clinical practices with guideline recommendations for HR+ HER2- metastatic breast cancer in minoritized patients.

Project Objectives

• Determine whether and to what degree assessing and addressing social drivers of health is linked with selection of guideline-concordant treatment choices for patients with HR+ HER2- metastatic breast cancer
• Identify tools to help providers address social drivers of health, including linkage with local patient resources and community-based support services
• Assess alignment of clinical practices with guideline recommendations for HR+ HER2- metastatic breast cancer in minoritized patients

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For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.