ABSTRACT

Social needs, which are social risk factors including lack of access to stable housing, healthy food, or reliable transportation, are recognized as integral to health. Free clinics tend to serve patients with social needs, yet, few are screened or receive assistance. Lack of personnel, resources, and procedures to identify and assist patients are reasons few free clinics consider social needs. To address this service gap, a midwestern free clinic and neighboring Masters of Social Work (MSW) program established a partnership. A social needs screen was developed and integrated into health care practice. An MSW intern was also embedded as a member of the health care team to provide social needs assistance. A 6-month pilot study was conducted to assess the value of the screen and use of MSW assistance services. Of the 223 patients screened, 66.4% (n = 146) scored positive for social needs. Only four percent (n = 6) of the patients used MSW services. Chi-square analyses reveal significant differences in social needs by age, gender, race, education, and primary language. The findings suggest that the screening and MSW intern services are valuable; however, they further suggest that screening alone may be insufficient to encourage utilization of MSW services.

摘要

社会需求是社会风险因素，包括无法获得稳定的住房、健康的食物或可靠的交通，被认为是健康的组成部分。免费诊所倾向于为有社会需求的患者提供服务，但很少有人接受筛查或接受帮助。缺乏人员、资源和程序来识别和帮助患者是很少有免费诊所考虑社会需求的原因。为了解决这一服务差距，中西部的一家免费诊所和邻近的社会工作硕士 (MSW) 计划建立了合作伙伴关系。开发了一个社会需求筛选并将其整合到医疗保健实践中。一名 MSW 实习生也被纳入医疗团队，以提供社会需求援助。进行了一项为期 6 个月的试点研究，以评估筛查和使用 MSW 援助服务的价值。在接受筛查的 223 名患者中，有 66 名。4% (n = 146) 的社会需求得分为正面。只有 4%（n = 6）的患者使用 MSW 服务。卡方分析揭示了不同年龄、性别、种族、教育和主要语言在社会需求方面的显着差异。调查结果表明筛查和 MSW 实习生服务很有价值；然而，他们进一步表明，仅筛查可能不足以鼓励使用 MSW 服务。