Social Risks vs. Social Needs: Assessing Patients' Interest in Assistance

This episode is the final in a series of five conversations focused on health care sector efforts to increase Awareness about both patient and community-level social conditions. Minal Patel, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, speaks with Emilia De Marchis, MD, MAS, an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, a family physician, and a member of the SIREN research team. Minal and Emilia explore a wide range of reasons why patients who screen positive for a social risk may not desire related assistance from the health care team. They also discuss how staff and provider training might influence patient interest in assistance interventions.

Recommended references:

• Alderwick H, Gottlieb LM. Meanings and misunderstandings: A social determinants of health lexicon for health care systems. Milbank Q. 2019.
• De Marchis EH, Alderwich H, Gottlieb LM. Do Patients Want Help Addressing Social Risks? JABFM. March 2020.
• De Marchis EH, Hessler D, Fichtenberg C, et al. Assessment of Social Risk Factors and Interest in Receiving Health Care–Based Social Assistance Among Adult Patients and Adult Caregivers of Pediatric Patients. JAMA Netw Open. Oct 2020.
• Devoe JE. When and How Do We Need Permission to Help Patients Address Social Risk? JABFM. March 2020.
• Patel MR, Heisler M, Piette JD, et al. Study protocol: CareAvenue program to improve unmet social risk factors and diabetes outcomes- A randomized controlled trial. Cont Clin Trials. Feb 2020.
• Patel MR, Resnicow K, Lang I, et al. Solutions to Address Diabetes-Related Financial Burden and Cost-Related Nonadherence: Results From a Pilot Study. Health Educ Behav. 2017. 
• Parkinson MD, Hammonds T, Keyser DJ, et al. Impact of Physician Referral to Health Coaching on Patient Engagement and Health Risks: An Observational Study of UPMC’s Prescription for Wellness. Am J Health Promot. Feb 2020.