Safeguarding Social Determinants of Health Data at a Managed Health Plan

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Increased adoption of social determinants of health (SDOH) screening by agencies for health equity has led to new data collection by health care workers (HCWs).
• Challenges persist, including lack of standardization, patient distrust, and data security concerns.
• Previous studies identified gaps in SDOH data collection, handling, training, and patient education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore health care workers' (HCWs) perspectives and experiences with accessing and using social determinants of health (SDOH) data.
• To assess the effectiveness of training on safeguarding SDOH data among HCWs involved in care coordination.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach utilizing a quasi-experimental pre-post study design.
• An 18-item online survey with closed- and open-ended questions, primarily using a Likert scale, was administered to HCWs.
• Participants were selected from divisions providing care coordination and health-related services within a managed health plan.

Main Results:

• A 14.1% response rate (50 participants) was achieved, with 78.0% actively using SDOH data.
• Only 59.0% of active users received training on SDOH data collection and use; 25.6% received no training.
• Post-training, participants showed increased confidence and reduced variability in understanding SDOH data as protected health information (PHI).

Conclusions:

• Training significantly improved HCWs' understanding of SDOH data as protected health information (PHI).
• HCWs expressed openness and eagerness for additional training on safeguarding SDOH data.
• Findings can inform best practices, guidelines, and targeted training to enhance SDOH data privacy and security.