How healthcare inequity is addressed

Sample Answer

Policy: Universal Screening for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

A crucial policy implemented in many modern Maternal Child Health (MCH) units to address healthcare inequity is the universal screening of all perinatal patients for social determinants of health (SDOH), combined with an automated referral system for identified needs.

How Healthcare Inequity is Addressed

This policy directly combats healthcare inequity by moving beyond clinical risk factors to address the underlying socioeconomic causes of poor maternal and infant outcomes.

Systematic Identification, Not Assumption: Inequity often arises when care providers assume a patient's need based on race or socioeconomic status. Universal SDOH screening (covering factors like food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers, and intimate partner violence) ensures that every patient, regardless of perceived status, is assessed. This standardizes the process and reveals hidden needs among diverse populations.

Targeted Resource Allocation: The screening data allows the hospital or clinic to precisely identify the specific non-medical barriers contributing to poor health outcomes (e.g., missed prenatal appointments due to lack of reliable transportation). This enables the facility to allocate resources (financial support, social worker time, or community health worker services) where they are most needed, rather than distributing them broadly and inefficiently.

Reducing Disparities in Outcomes: In MCH, financial and social instability are strongly linked to increased rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, and maternal mortality. By treating these social needs as clinical priorities and providing immediate warm handoffs to resources (e.g., WIC for food insecurity, housing assistance programs), the policy aims to mitigate the non-biological risks that disproportionately affect vulnerable and minority populations, thereby working to close the gap in maternal and infant health disparities.