(1304) Impact of Pharmacist Outreach on Social Determinants of Health

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact pharmacist outreach has on improving patient knowledge of and access to healthcare resources and economic aid. Social determinants of health (SDoH) are the social and physical environments that people live, work, and play in that can affect their health. Factors stemming from these social determinants of health can include food access, healthcare access, and much more. It is essential for healthcare providers to acknowledge these factors as they have implications on patients' wellbeing. Pharmacists are well positioned to advocate for patients' care beyond the medication dispensing model and can help bridge the gap in healthcare that may be caused by these social determinants of health. As part of a supermarket chain ingrained in the community, Giant Eagle Pharmacy may be able to address some of the economic and healthcare disparities as they relate to food and medication access and insecurity. Research has been performed on the role of pharmacist intervention on social outreach previously, but the critical piece of follow up with the patients has not been studied extensively.

Methods: Individuals within the greater Pittsburgh community will be surveyed for social determinants of health, specifically focused around economic and healthcare issues, via an investigator created survey incorporating various questions from validated SDoH surveys. Initially, a paper survey will be distributed by the pharmacist to individuals 18 years of age and older at the Giant Eagle Mobile Market, a grocery store on wheels. PHI including name, email, and phone number will be collected on the survey in order to facilitate future follow up with the individuals. Individuals who screen positive on the survey for needs will be connected to resources. The pharmacist will follow up with individuals approximately one month after the initial outreach to assess their use of the services and for any feedback on the outreach process via electronic survey. Survey results will be deidentified, analyzed, and compiled via Qualtrics. PHI collected during the survey process will be stored securely at the residency site.

Results: This research will take place from October 2023 to January 2024.

Conclusions: We expect results from this research to further illustrate the impact of pharmacist outreach in improving patient healthcare from a social determinants of health perspective.