The 2010 initiative launched by the IHI focusing on the Social Determinants of Health aimed to improve health outcomes by addressing a range of factors beyond just medical care, supported by indices like the IHDI that measure disparities in health, knowledge, and living standards.
In 2010, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) launched an initiative to address the social agenda of health and health care, focusing on the Social Determinants of Health. This initiative was created to foster a holistic understanding of health that goes beyond medical treatment by considering a wide range of factors, like socioeconomic status, education, and environmental conditions, that affect an individual's health outcomes.
The Health Determinants considered by this initiative align with concepts such as the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI), which takes into account disparities in the dimensions of health, knowledge, and standard of living. Such indices and initiatives emphasize the importance of addressing health inequities and incorporating a multi-dimensional approach to assessing and improving population health.
Policy implications of the research on Social Determinants of Health encourage interventions that are more targeted and can effectively reduce health disparities, thereby improving health outcomes for diverse groups within the population.