If cultural sensitivity is not enough to reduce health disparities, what will pharmacy education do next?

Social determinants greatly impact health, and evidence suggests that health disparities still exist between patient populations. The pharmacist's role in public health continues to evolve; therefore, the deliberate integration of public health into pharmacy education is essential. Pharmacy graduates must be able to recognize social determinants of health in order to help reduce disparities and inequities in access to quality care.

Cultural sensitivity training has been one of the most commonly used vehicles to educate students about health disparities. Whereas cultural sensitivity is of critical importance, it could unintentionally perpetuate the idea of culture as the sole construct to predict health outcomes. Consequently, it is important that we approach this societal problem from a public health perspective by addressing not just culture, but all other social determinants of health.

As disparities in health outcomes continue to widen for some patient groups, it is imperative for pharmacy programs to explore novel instructional approaches to teach health disparities. A paradigm shift from awareness to action and advocacy must involve educating students on the multifaceted effects of social determinants when designing interventions to help reduce health disparities.