Should Family Medicine and Family Physicians Be Responsible for Addressing Population Health and the Social Drivers of Health?

Gravel, Joseph; Stephens, Melissa · J Am Board Fam Med · 2026

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Abstract

At the August 2025 Family Medicine Leadership Consortium meeting, the following question was discussed: "Should family medicine and the family physician be responsible for addressing population health and the social drivers of health (SDH)?" There was clear consensus that social drivers of health (SDH) such as poverty, housing instability, and food insecurity are powerful predictors of health outcomes. However, there was debate about the appropriate level of responsibility family physicians should assume in addressing these factors.

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