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The types of social determinants of health that medical providers may identify in their patients vary, meaning it will take numerous social determinants of health interventions to support patient wellness.
But with these hospital- or clinic-based social service referrals being somewhat in their nascency, not every organization has a solution for every social determinant of health. For one thing, the medical industry is still building an evidence base for these social services, so organizations don’t always know for sure which interventions will improve outcomes and potentially have some return on investment.
Additionally, healthcare organizations might not have resources or community partners that can address some social determinants of health—at least not yet. Said otherwise, hospitals and clinics might be able to refer a patient to affordable housing, but they don’t know how to solve neighborhood violence.
As a result, several top effective social determinants of health interventions have come to light. Although they are new, many healthcare organizations have built out some SDOH programming that includes screening and referral.
Where that referral goes is not the same at every provider. Some organizations may have more community health partnerships than others, or more capabilities to connect patients to social services.