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ACOG Committee Opinion No. 729 Summary: Importance Of Social Determinants Of Health And Cultural Awareness In The Delivery Of Reproductive Health Care

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doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000002453
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Abstract

Recommendations

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists makes the following recommendations for obstetrician–gynecologists and other health care providers to improve patient-centered care and decrease inequities in reproductive health care:

  • Inquire about and document social and structural determinants of health that may influence a patient’s health and use of health care such as access to stable housing, access to food and safe drinking water, utility needs, safety in the home and community, immigration status, and employment conditions.
  • Maximize referrals to social services to help improve patients’ abilities to fulfill these needs.
  • Provide access to interpreter services for all patient interactions when patient language is not the clinician’s language.
  • Acknowledge that race, institutionalized racism, and other forms of discrimination serve as social determinants of health.
  • Recognize that stereotyping patients based on presumed cultural beliefs can negatively affect patient interactions, especially when patients’ behaviors are attributed solely to individual choices without recognizing the role of social and structural factors.
  • Advocate for policy changes that promote safe and healthy living environments.

© 2017 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.