Roundtable Discussion: Caring for Vulnerable Populations

Making the Case for and Defining a Strategy to Address Social Needs

Nearly half of all patient outcomes are related to whether social needs are met, and economic resources are available. As care providers, we assume these needs are met when we prescribe a plan of care. Patients who don’t (or aren’t able) to follow the prescribed plan of care are labeled “non-compliant”.

In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, social and economic factors are foundational. Until these needs are met, it’s difficult for a patient to be ‘compliant’ with any prescribed plan of care. How do we become better informed about our patients’ social and economic needs?

In this roundtable event, we are discussing practical strategies to identify social needs, such as selection of a screening tool, determining who will administer the screening, and – most importantly - how to address the social needs once identified.

Session topics: 

• Evidence-based research that supports the efficacy of addressing social needs
• Evidence-based tools to screen for social needs
• Successful strategies to implement a process for screening and addressing social needs