Introduction
Healthcare organizations increasingly are screening patients for social needs (e.g.,
food, housing) and referring them to community resources. This systematic mixed studies
review assesses how studies evaluate social needs resource connections and identifies
patient- and caregiver-reported factors that may inhibit or facilitate resource connections.
Methods
Investigators searched PubMed and CINAHL for articles published from October 2015
to December 2020 and used dual review to determine inclusion based on a priori selection
criteria. Data related to study design, setting, population of interest, intervention,
and outcomes were abstracted. Articles’ quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods
Appraisal Tool. Data analysis was conducted in 2021.
Results
The search identified 34 articles from 32 studies. The authors created a taxonomy
of quantitative resource connection measures with 4 categories: whether participants
made contact with resources, received resources, had their social needs addressed,
or rated some aspect of their experience with resources. Barriers to resource connections
were inadequacy, irrelevancy, or restrictiveness; inaccessibility; fears surrounding
stigma or discrimination; and factors related to staff training and resource information
sharing. Facilitators were referrals’ relevancy, the degree of support and simplicity
embedded within the interventions, and interventions being comprehensive and inclusive.
Discussion
This synthesis of barriers and facilitators indicates areas where healthcare organizations
may have agency to improve the efficacy of social needs screening and referral interventions.
The authors also recommend that resource connection measures be explicitly defined
and focus on whether participants received new resources and whether their social
needs were addressed.
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Published online: January 22, 2022
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