Examining Social Determinants of Health: The Whole Person Approach

In the past five years, terms such as advocacy, engagement, coaching, and even ‘whole-person approach’ have been widely discussed within workers’ compensation — for good reason.

The conversation around whole-person approach generates many important questions.

For one, how do we support the whole person by offering one comprehensive solution? And, what part do digital health programs play in meeting the needs of injured employees?

Further, how do we deliver a personalized experience and meet injured employees where they are in their journey to recovery?

Social determinants of health, or the conditions in which an individual lives, works, learns, and plays, are a big part of the answer to any of these questions. According to the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 80 percent of health outcomes are influenced by non-clinical factors.