Takeaway
Healthcare professionals can be strong advocates for communities. This can include working to improve cycling infrastructure, affordable housing, and access to education.
Passion in the Medical Profession | October 14, 2024 | 2 min read
By Chris Tiplady, MD, Northumbria Healthcare, England
I commute to work every day by bicycle. So here, I compare cycling infrastructure to healthcare systems.
If there was just a bit more investment in cycling infrastructure more people would get on their bikes and improve their health, reducing the burden on healthcare systems. We need simple things like protected cycle lanes, showers at work, secure parking for bikes, and considerate drivers. But the money goes into building extra lanes for cars on already busy roads, it goes on electric vehicles, it goes into the shiny popular things.
I feel the same is happening in medicine. Healthcare systems around the world are happy to spend millions on treatments with only marginal benefits, millions on testing because of the threat of litigation, and millions on the latest shiny thing like Artificial Intelligence because that is new and attractive.
I think of this as “Panda” medicine. The Panda represents all that is cute and cuddly of an at-risk species, so it gets all the money, unlike an endangered warty frog. Spending money on improved housing, education, job opportunities, sanitation, and indeed cycling, are the “warty frogs” of medicine, where investing money would make a real difference to millions of people.
Doctors must support investment into the real determinants of health—communities, socio-economic, cultural, and environmental conditions, all the ugly warty frogs.
Here’s what we can do:
1. Advocate for policy changes.
Support initiatives to allocate more resources towards public health infrastructure, including cycling infrastructure, affordable housing, education, and job training. Use research and data to demonstrate the effectiveness of investing in determinants of health. Collaborate with policymakers to develop evidence-based policies.
2. Educate patients and communities.
Educate patients about the importance of determinants of health and how they impact their overall well-being. Organize and participate in community events to promote healthy lifestyles, environmental sustainability, and social justice. Share information and resources with patients on how to access community services and support.
3. Collaborate with community organizations.
Work closely with local organizations, such as community health centers, social service agencies, and environmental groups, to address the root causes of health disparities. Collaborate with these groups on projects that promote healthy living, improve access to healthcare, and address social determinants of health.
4. Integrate social determinants of health into clinical practice.
Routinely ask about patients’ social, economic, and environmental circumstances during clinical visits. Use screening tools to identify patients at risk for social determinants of health-related issues. Refer patients to appropriate community resources based on their needs.
5. Engage in research and advocacy.
Participate in research studies that investigate the impact of determinants of health on health outcomes. Use research findings to advocate for policy changes and increased investment in determinants of health.
6. Support interdisciplinary collaboration.
Collaborate with public health professionals, social workers, and other healthcare professionals to address complex health issues. Advocate for the creation of interdisciplinary teams that can address the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect health.
By taking these steps, healthcare professionals can play a crucial role in promoting investment in the determinants of health and improving the overall well-being of their communities.
This piece expresses the views solely of the author. It does not necessarily represent the views of any organization, including Johns Hopkins Medicine.