The Social Context: Social and Behavioral Factors That Affect Health Outcomes

To achieve understanding and best care, screening and treating patients should consider the patient's social environment. Social and behavioral factors influence both positive and negative health behaviors that influence mental and physical health. Primary care providers continually navigate barriers faced by patients and seek solutions that take into consideration social and behavioral factors. The role of the PCP begins with an understanding of common barriers and community resources, then by assessing and responding to the patient's own challenges, and finally by advocating in the clinic and public for changes to the underlying social and structural causes of morbidity and mortality.