Enhancing hypertension pharmacotherapeutics education by integrating social determinants of health

Objective Social determinants of health (SDOH) play a significant role in hypertension management. Pharmacy program accreditation standards include that students should understand SDOH. However, there is limited data regarding approaches to incorporating SDOH within pharmacotherapuetics courses. This study evaluated changes in student knowledge, understanding, perceptions, beliefs, and confidence by integrating SDOH topics in hypertension pharmacotherapeutics lectures. Methods The study invited students enrolled in cardiovascular pharmacotherapeutics courses at two institutions to participate. Participation involved a pre-intervention questionnaire, a lecture on clinical management of hypertension incorporating SDOH concepts, an assignment involving reading a journal article and answering related questions, and a post-intervention questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS with a predetermined α level of 0.05 for statistical significance. Mean composite questionnaire scores were calculated and compared with Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Results Out of 109 students, the response rate was 85.3% (93 participants). Combined questionnaire results demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in all questionnaire item composites. The open-ended knowledge assessment yielded a mean score of 5.75 (range 3-6). Conclusion The study intervention enhanced student knowledge, understanding, perceptions, beliefs, and confidence regarding the impact of SDOH on hypertension. This practical and reproducible approach offers a valuable method for incorporating SDOH concepts into pharmacotherapeutics courses.