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It’s easy to focus on patient complaints in the healthcare setting. Injuries, worrisome labs and other symptoms are obvious red flags for patient health. But medical interventions like these influence patient outcomes only 20 percent of the time or less. Social determinants of health affect the remaining 80 percent.
When we talk about SDOH, we mean social factors such as housing, food and personal safety; whether or not people have access to or know where to seek healthcare; and if they have the transportation to get there. Without these things, patients can’t be proactive about their care, leaving serious health conditions and outcomes to worsen over time.
Considering the great influence such resources have over patient health, it’s critical for healthcare organizations to screen patients for SDOH risk factors. How they collect that data and use it to improve patient outcomes varies. In many cases, there’s room for improvement.