FACETS: using open data to measure community social determinants of health. (27th October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cantor, Michael N; Chandras, Rajan; Pulgarin, Claudia
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. Volume 25:Number 4(2018)
• Page Start: 419
• Page End: 422
• Publication Date: 2017-10-27
• Subjects: social determinants of health -- open data -- vulnerable populations; Medical informatics -- Periodicals; Information Services -- Periodicals; Medical Informatics -- Periodicals; Médecine -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Informatica; Geneeskunde; Informatique médicale; Computer network resources; Electronic journals; 610.285
• DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocx117
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1067-5027

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: To develop a dataset based on open data sources reflective of community-level social determinants of health (SDH). Materials and Methods: We created FACETS (Factors Affecting Communities and Enabling Targeted Services), an architecture that incorporates open data related to SDH into a single dataset mapped at the census-tract level for New York City. Results: FACETS (https://github.com/mcantor2/FACETS ) can be easily used to map individual addresses to their census-tract-level SDH. This dataset facilitates analysis across different determinants that are often not easily accessible. Discussion: Wider access to open data from government agencies at the local, state, and national level would facilitate the aggregation and analysis of community-level determinants. Timeliness of updates to federal non-census data sources may limit their usefulness. Conclusion: FACETS is an important first step in standardizing and compiling SDH-related data in an open architecture that can give context to a patient's condition and enable better decision-making when developing a plan of care.