Healthy People 2030 describes social determinants of health as the "conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks." In the Healthy People 2030 framework, social determinants of health are grouped into five domains; Economic Stability, Education Access and Quality, Health Care Access and Quality, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Social and Community Context. 

Through a series of innovative research studies, the Center for Knowledge Management (CKM) has evaluated how best to collect information about social and behavioral determinants of health (SBD). CKM conducted the first-known evaluation of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) questionnaire on social and behavioral domains, and assessed the feasibility of using a hybrid questionnaire that included the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patient Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE) instrument in a community clinic setting.  

Leveraging the team's unique skills in metadata and knowledge management we have, created a freely-available database of public health and community-based resources in the Nashville area that can help address identified social needs.

CKM also actively stays abreast of ongoing research, projects, and initiatives addressing social determinants of health, thus supporting the medical center's mission to provide personalized health care.

This research was supported in part by the VUMC McKesson Chair Fund and the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (#VR23877).