The importance of addressing social drivers of health and unmet social needs in optimizing geriatric emergency care

Social factors and determinants have an immense impact on health. These "social drivers of health" have been broadly defined as economic and social conditions that influence the health of people and communities. Unmet social needs contribute to poor health outcomes, particularly for patients with poor access to outpatient care. Emergency departments (EDs) play a critical role in providing health care to vulnerable populations with these needs, and delivering this care is a central component of emergency medicine's public health mission. Here, the authors describe the major unmet social needs that may impact geriatric patients' care in the ED and provide some ways to address them.