Do Patients Want Help Addressing Social Risks?

Abstract

Evaluations of health care-based screening programs for social risks often report that a relatively small proportion of patients screening positive for social risk factors are interested in receiving assistance from their health care teams to address them. The relatively low number of patients who desire assistance is relevant to the growing number of initiatives in US health care settings designed to collect data on and address patients' social risks. We highlight multiple studies that have found differences between positive risks screens and desire for assistance. We explore possible explanations for those differences-focusing on the fallibility of screening tools as well as patient preferences, priorities, and lived experiences-and the potential implications for health equity.