About
The project is trying to understand how best to collect important personal information about our hard-to-reach populations, who are those living in low-income neighbourhoods in the area that our clinic serves. By personal information, we mean our patients’ characteristics (such as language preference, country of birth, race and ethnicity, disability, sex at birth, gender identity and sexual orientation) and social situations (including education level, income, access to food, medications, and housing). Collecting this information in healthcare is relatively new. Thus, we are trying to understand how to best collect this data from those who experience difficult social situations.
Impact
We know that these factors significantly impact an individual’s health. Research estimates that 50% of an individual’s health is based on these factors. In comparison, 25% of an individual’s health is related to their health care. Collection of this information will allow us to provide services tailored to people’s unique needs.