Incorporating Social Determinants of Health Training in Curricula of Physical Therapist Professional Education Programs: A Qualitative Analysis of Faculty Approaches

INTRODUCTION: Leaders in physical therapy education have asserted that student physical therapists (SPTs) must be taught to address the social determinants of health (SDH). This study aimed to extract and describe commonalities in faculty experiences and approaches when teaching SDH content to SPTs. REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Little is known regarding educational content, instructional methods, assessment practices, and faculty preparation for teaching SDH to SPTs. SUBJECTS: Participants included 14 faculty members who teach SDH in their respective programs. METHODS: The team used a consensual qualitative research design with semi-structured, individual interviews to explore the phenomenon of teaching SDH content as experienced by core faculty. Open-ended questions were developed based on existing literature on teaching population health, prevention, health promotion, and wellness content to SPTs, documents discussing the importance of physical therapists addressing SDH, and accreditation standards and required elements. The team refined the interview guide using expert feedback. Interviews were conducted via video conferencing. Data saturation guided participant recruitment. RESULTS: Five themes emerged from the data: (1) Faculty do not uniformly teach SDH content and topics across education programs, (2) Faculty depend upon multiple delivery methods to teach SDH content at differing time points in curricula, (3) Faculty rely on multiple assessment methods to assess learning of SDH content, (4) Faculty prepare themselves for teaching SDH through lifelong learning and professional development, and (5) Faculty value resources that support their teaching or help them overcome barriers encountered when incorporating SDH content into their curricula. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This research provides novel insights regarding faculty experiences with and approaches to teaching SDH content to SPTs. Findings suggest that faculty teach a broad range of SDH content by using multiple delivery methods and assessment strategies. Curricular recommendations and educational resources designed for SPTs would support faculty since SDH is required in new accreditation standards.