However, as primary care physicians (PCP) are generally tasked with an already heavy clinical patient load, they may feel they lack both the time and expertise, to address these social determinants of health ( 4). Primary care clinics have longitudinal relationships with their patients, allowing for more chances of identifying and addressing these SDOH ( 3). These factors have been defined in various ways, but often include both environmental factors (e.g., transportation), and patient factors (depression). These barriers, termed social determinants of health (SDOH), hold a strong influence on the health outcomes seen by many populations ( 2). However, this pandemic also acted as a catalyst to further unveil the impact of social and environmental barriers to healthcare on underserved populations ( 1). Many clinical settings required rapid adjustments to their abilities to deliver services to patients safely. The coronavirus pandemic has opened multiple avenues of rapid advancements in methods of healthcare delivery with telemedicine being at the forefront of this change. The data from our small pilot study demonstrated that social work triage delivered via a tablet was an acceptable and valued resource in busy primary care practices. Data collected from patients, primary care providers, and social work staff revealed positive feedback. Twenty-two telehealth social work encounters occurred spanning both adult and pediatric patients. Outcome measures included patient and provider satisfaction. This in-practice pilot study tested the utility of a geographically centralized social worker providing services between a patient and a primary care provider via telecommunication at two high volume rural outpatient family practice clinics. Additionally, it further unveiled the impact of social and environmental barriers to healthcare in underserved, rural populations. The coronavirus pandemic quickly exposed the need for efficient and widespread implementation of telehealth services. 2Social Work, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.1Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
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