Drivers of patient experiences with healthcare-based social care

OBJECTIVE: To identify key factors that define patient experiences of social care in healthcare settings. 

STUDY SETTING AND DESIGN: This is a qualitative study using interviews from participants recruited by collaborators of a social care research group from across the United States. 

DATA SOURCES AND ANALYTIC SAMPLE: We conducted 30 semi-structured interviews between September 2023 and February 2024. Participants were 18 or older, English- or Spanish-speaking, and had received social care in a healthcare setting within the last 12 months. Interview transcripts were dually coded and analyzed using a mixed inductive-deductive approach. 

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Patient experience was defined by elements of social care delivery that fell into two categories: the functional and relational domains of social care. Participants reported that operational or "functional" aspects of social care, including screening, resource connections, and other forms of follow-up, represented an important part of their experiences of social care. Experiences of social care were also defined by relational factors, for example, demonstrations of empathy, positive perceptions of screening intentions, linguistic concordance, and longitudinal relationships with the care team. Many participants felt that these functional and relational factors were inextricably linked. 

CONCLUSIONS: The impressive role that relational factors-that is, interactions and relationships with social care providers-play in defining patient experiences highlights the need to include these factors in efforts to evaluate social care interventions. Discussions about social needs may retain value even in the absence of available resources if healthcare teams attend to the relational factors that drive patients' social care experiences. In the future, measures of social care quality should account for both the functional and relational dimensions of social care.