These key learning points summarize the consensus- and evidence-based recommendations included in this edition. The sources listed here for each statement recommend that physicians perform or implement these actions directly in a clinical setting. A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence; B = inconsistent or limited-quality patient-oriented evidence; C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to https://www.aafp.org/afpsort.
1. Use new and revised clinical algorithms that replace race correction factors with direct measurements of factors that are more likely to drive clinical outcomes, such as individual health history, social determinants of health, or individual genetic markers of disease risk and drug response.
Evidence rating: SORT C
Source: Section 1, Reference 28
2. When treating hypertension, follow newer race-agnostic treatment guidelines to focus attention on compelling indications (such as comorbid diabetes or heart failure), use combination therapy for nearly all patients, and escalate treatment until goal blood pressures are met and maintained.
Evidence rating: SORT B
Source: Section 1, Reference 71
3. Obtain a comprehensive patient history that maps onto the socio-ecological model.
Evidence rating: SORT C
Source: Section 2, Reference 74
4. Use the framework of structural competency to reframe individual patient health behaviors as products of upstream social and structural determinants of health, thereby enhancing patient empathy and the ability to respond clinically to the role that social, economic, and political structural factors play in patient and community health.
Evidence rating: SORT C
Source: Section 2, Reference 14
5. Increase workforce diversity by engaging with local community organizations and schools to develop comprehensive educational pathways that are reflective of local community needs and provide young learners with a combination of social, academic, and financial support.
Evidence rating: SORT C
Source: Section 3, Reference 49
6. Equity interventions within the clinical space are directly linked to improved health outcomes. Improving access to care for socially vulnerable patients is a critical health equity intervention.
Evidence rating: SORT C
Source: Section 4, Reference 29
7. Acting on individual social needs is important; however, addressing social, political, and economic health determinants is crucial because they are more likely to determine whether someone is healthy.
Evidence rating: SORT C
Source: Section 4, Reference 41
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