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Tool identifies areas of food insecurity
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A mapping tool that researchers dubbed Population Health Assessment Engine, or PHATE, identified which neighborhoods were at greater risk for food insecurity, according to findings recently published in Annals of Family Medicine.
“Family physicians have long recognized the importance of the social determinants of health, like adequate access to food, on a patient’s health status. Many physicians, however, lack useful tools to effectively address them,” Jonathan Lichkus, MD, MPH, of the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, Lawrence, Massachusetts and colleagues wrote.
The mapping tool utilized data gleaned from electronic health records that are part of the PRIME registry, neighborhoods served by Lichkus et al’s clinic, diseases impacting the clinic’s service area, locations where the quality of care was considered “poor” and community organizations. PHATE also created a Community Vital Sign for each patient, using a neighborhood social deprivation index to evaluate a patient’s risk for poor outcomes, such as mortality and diabetes.
Lichkus and colleagues wrote that as of August 2018, data from 270 patients who screened positive for food insecurity had been uploaded to PHATE, allowing researchers to devote resources to the areas that need it most.
“Next, we will investigate why these locations experience a differential burden and work with local community organizations to improve access to healthy food. Overall, PHATE is an easy-to-use population health tool that will enable clinicians and their practices to better identify and intervene on social determinants of health,” they concluded. – by Janel Miller
Disclosures: Lichkus reports being supported by the American Board of Family Medicine Visiting Scholar Program. No other relevant financial disclosures were reported.
Perspective
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Arthur Kaufman, MD
Addressing the social determinants of health rapidly becoming the new way to provide patient care by caring for and managing populations and keeping them healthy. Lichkus et al have described a very feasible, fantastic approach, one that can add to already existing methods that identify areas where food insecurity exists. Their approach appears easily implementable for housing, utilities and other social determinants of health.
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