Community Needs and SDOH Flashcards
7 cards from real CPC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Community Needs and SDOH flashcards as text
A community paramedic wants to map social service resources available to patients in their service area. The MOST appropriate tool for this is:
Answer: A community resource directory or platform such as 211
211 and similar community resource directories catalog local social services including food pantries, housing assistance, and mental health programs available to patients.
When using ICD-10-CM Z-codes in community paramedicine documentation, their PRIMARY purpose is to:
Answer: Capture social determinants and social risk factors affecting patient health
Z-codes (e.g., Z59 for housing problems, Z60 for social environment issues) standardize documentation of SDOH factors, enabling data tracking and resource allocation.
A community paramedic encounters a patient who appears to have sufficient income but still reports food insecurity. Which factor MOST likely explains this?
Answer: The patient lives in a food desert with limited access to nutritious food
Food deserts—areas lacking affordable, nutritious food options—mean that even patients with modest income may be food insecure due to geographic access barriers.
Which of the following is the CORRECT order of the 'spectrum of prevention' from least to most population-level impact?
Answer: Individual counseling → community education → policy change
The spectrum of prevention moves from individual-level interventions (least population impact) through community education to policy change, which has the broadest and most sustained population health impact.
A community paramedic program is evaluating social needs data and finds that 40% of their high-utilizer patients report housing instability. The BEST programmatic response is to:
Answer: Partner with a housing authority to create a referral pathway for unstable housing
Partnering with housing authorities creates a sustainable, systematic referral pathway that addresses the root cause for the identified high-risk population.
The concept of 'place-based health' in community paramedicine refers to:
Answer: The understanding that where a person lives significantly shapes their health outcomes and risks
Place-based health recognizes that neighborhood conditions—resources, safety, environment—are major determinants of health, often more powerful than individual behaviors.
During a community needs assessment, a community paramedic finds high rates of lead poisoning in children under 5. The MOST appropriate SDOH-informed response is to:
Answer: Collaborate with housing authorities and public health to identify and remediate lead paint in older housing stock
Lead poisoning in children is predominantly caused by lead paint in older housing; a systemic response targeting the environmental source is the only sustainable solution.