Presented By: Hejin Jeong, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Co-Authors: Ifeolorunbode Adebambo, The MetroHealth System

Purpose 
There has been a growing emphasis on integrating social drivers of health (SDH) education into medical school curricula. However, clinicians continue to express a lack of knowledge and confidence in combatting patients' SDH. To enhance medical students' ability to identify and address the social needs of patients, we performed a needs assessment in our institution and developed a novel SDH workshop. 

Methods 
We surveyed medical students within our institution to identify their perception of the effectiveness of the current SDH curriculum, level of confidence in addressing SDH, and desire for additional training on SDH before clinical rotations. The survey included Likert-style and free-response questions to allow students to elaborate on the specific gaps in the current curriculum. 

Results 
Of 43 students who responded to the needs assessment survey, 48.82% perceived that the current preclinical curriculum is very or extremely effective in teaching the upstream causes of SDH. However, only 18.60% and 13.96% indicated that the curriculum was equally effective in preparing students to identify and address patients' social needs, respectively. 79.07% desired more training on addressing patients' social needs. 

Conclusions 
While the current preclinical curriculum on SDH may adequately educate students on the general concept of SDH, our survey results suggest a need for targeted education on the practical skills required in managing SDH. We plan to offer such a workshop to our preclinical students, which will include a case-based lecture and a simulation experience with a patient. Through this experience, students will practice integrating validated SDH screening tools into patient interviews, devising patients' biopsychosocial problem lists, and collaborating with community organizations and social workers to address the identified social needs. Should the participants of this workshop affirm its substantial educational value, this workshop can be adapted into other institutions' curricula to enhance future physicians' ability to advocate for patients affected by SDH.