Part II: A Qualitative Study of Social Risk Screening Acceptability in Patients and Caregivers

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Social Determinants of Health
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Social risk screening is increasingly adopted in healthcare settings to identify patient needs beyond clinical care.
• Understanding patient and caregiver perspectives is crucial for optimizing the implementation and effectiveness of social risk screening tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient and caregiver perspectives on social risk screening within diverse healthcare settings.
• To identify key themes regarding the acceptability, implementation preferences, and perceived impact of social risk screening.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods, multisite study involving semistructured interviews with adult patients and caregivers of pediatric patients.
• Participants had previously completed the Accountable Health Communities social risk screening tool.
• Thematic analysis and constant comparative methods were used to analyze interview data.

Main Results:

• Broad consensus existed across 10 study sites that social risk screening is acceptable to patients and caregivers.
• Key themes included the perceived importance of screening, understanding the link between social risks and health, and the need for patient-centered implementation.
• Participants acknowledged the limitations of healthcare systems in fully addressing identified social risks.

Conclusions:

• Patient-centered social risk screening, emphasizing empathy and privacy, can enhance patient-provider relationships despite intervention gaps.
• Effective social risk screening requires careful consideration of patient perspectives and realistic expectations of healthcare system capacity.