SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Learn a Bundle: an Innovative Health Equity Bundle Curriculum

Pdf Summary

<strong>Summary:</strong>

“Learn A Bundle” describes an innovative <strong>Health Equity Bundle (HEB)</strong> curriculum designed to help medical students apply social determinants of health (SDH) knowledge during inpatient clerkships. Although students learn about SDH early in medical school, few practical frameworks exist to guide them in real patient care settings.

Launched in <strong>January 2023</strong> across <strong>three inpatient sites</strong>—academic tertiary care, VA, and public county hospitals—the curriculum targeted <strong>third-year students</strong> rotating through <strong>Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, and Neurology</strong>. The program included a <strong>virtual workshop</strong> on HEB domains and how to sensitively ask SDH questions, an <strong>inpatient assignment</strong> requiring students to use the framework in assessment and plan documentation, and a <strong>faculty-facilitated debrief</strong> with written reflections.

Analysis of <strong>160 student reflections</strong> collected from January to October 2023 showed three major benefits:
1. <strong>Greater insight into SDH</strong> and how to identify barriers such as housing, access to care, and language needs.
2. <strong>Stronger patient relationships</strong>, with students reporting more holistic understanding and improved patient connection.
3. <strong>Increased teamwork and advocacy</strong>, as students helped trigger multidisciplinary support for social and structural needs.

Themes from reflections included improved application of SDH knowledge, enhanced patient dynamics, growth in learner confidence and professional identity, better collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, and increased recognition of health inequities.

Overall, the curriculum showed that a structured, practical health equity framework can help students better address patient needs during hospital rotations. Its success across diverse inpatient settings suggests it could be widely adapted for other teaching hospitals and learner levels.

Asset Subtitle

Kasia Kadela

Meta Tag

Author List Cindy Lai, Kasia Kadela, Kewchang Lee, Megan Richie, Mia F. Williams, Nancy Choi

Category Innovations

Concept Health Equity

Concept Social Determinants of Health

Concept Patient-Centered Communication

Concept Inpatient Care

Concept Patient Care

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

Presenting Author Kasia Kadela

Track Education

Keywords

health equity bundle

social determinants of health

medical education

inpatient clerkships

third-year medical students

internal medicine

psychiatry

neurology

patient advocacy

multidisciplinary teamwork

Health Equity

Social Determinants of Health

Patient-Centered Communication

Inpatient Care

Patient Care