Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals
Background: Addressing social determinants of health in patient care helps hospitals better understand the non-medical factors influencing patients’ health outcomes. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between hospital characteristics, county determinants, and the...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Health Services Insights |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329251342849 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849689007513927680 |
|---|---|
| author | Sinyoung Park Hanadi Y. Hamadi Samira Abdul Aaron Spaulding Jing Xu Mei Zhao |
| author_facet | Sinyoung Park Hanadi Y. Hamadi Samira Abdul Aaron Spaulding Jing Xu Mei Zhao |
| author_sort | Sinyoung Park |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Addressing social determinants of health in patient care helps hospitals better understand the non-medical factors influencing patients’ health outcomes. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between hospital characteristics, county determinants, and the systematic recording of health-related social needs among general and surgical acute care hospitals in the United States. It focused on the hospital’s routine collection of data on patients’ health-related social needs, such as transportation, housing, and food insecurity. Design: A cross-sectional retrospective study design was utilized. Methods: All hospitals that completed the American Hospital Association Annual survey (n = 2254) were included in the study. A series of multinomial logistic analyses were conducted. Results: The relative risk of hospitals routinely collecting health-related social needs data is 67% lower in for-profit hospitals and 90% higher in not-for-profit hospitals compared to government hospitals. Hospitals that are part of a system are 1.5 times more likely to routinely collect data on social needs. In addition, counties with higher household income have a statistically significant higher relative risk of hospitals collecting data on social needs, though the magnitude of the difference is small. The relative risk of hospitals collecting social needs data, but not routinely, is 2 times higher in teaching hospitals and 3 times higher among system hospitals. Conclusion: Our research strongly indicates that understanding and addressing these inherent hospital-related factors are essential for effectively integrating social determinants of health into routine healthcare data collection practices. Establishing more robust guidelines and standardization in these practices may enhance hospitals’ ability to document and utilize health-related social needs information, ultimately driving improved patient outcomes and supporting more equitable care. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7ad084ffc51043889cd8bf1dc352238d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1178-6329 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Health Services Insights |
| spelling | doaj-art-7ad084ffc51043889cd8bf1dc352238d2025-08-20T03:21:47ZengSAGE PublishingHealth Services Insights1178-63292025-05-011810.1177/11786329251342849Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care HospitalsSinyoung Park0Hanadi Y. Hamadi1Samira Abdul2Aaron Spaulding3Jing Xu4Mei Zhao5Department of Health Administration, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USADepartment of Health Administration, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USADepartment of Health Administration, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USADivision of Health Care Delivery Research, Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern, Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USADepartment of Health Administration, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USADepartment of Health Administration, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USABackground: Addressing social determinants of health in patient care helps hospitals better understand the non-medical factors influencing patients’ health outcomes. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between hospital characteristics, county determinants, and the systematic recording of health-related social needs among general and surgical acute care hospitals in the United States. It focused on the hospital’s routine collection of data on patients’ health-related social needs, such as transportation, housing, and food insecurity. Design: A cross-sectional retrospective study design was utilized. Methods: All hospitals that completed the American Hospital Association Annual survey (n = 2254) were included in the study. A series of multinomial logistic analyses were conducted. Results: The relative risk of hospitals routinely collecting health-related social needs data is 67% lower in for-profit hospitals and 90% higher in not-for-profit hospitals compared to government hospitals. Hospitals that are part of a system are 1.5 times more likely to routinely collect data on social needs. In addition, counties with higher household income have a statistically significant higher relative risk of hospitals collecting data on social needs, though the magnitude of the difference is small. The relative risk of hospitals collecting social needs data, but not routinely, is 2 times higher in teaching hospitals and 3 times higher among system hospitals. Conclusion: Our research strongly indicates that understanding and addressing these inherent hospital-related factors are essential for effectively integrating social determinants of health into routine healthcare data collection practices. Establishing more robust guidelines and standardization in these practices may enhance hospitals’ ability to document and utilize health-related social needs information, ultimately driving improved patient outcomes and supporting more equitable care.https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329251342849 |
| spellingShingle | Sinyoung Park Hanadi Y. Hamadi Samira Abdul Aaron Spaulding Jing Xu Mei Zhao Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals Health Services Insights |
| title | Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals |
| title_full | Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals |
| title_short | Exploring the Routine Recording of Health-Related Social Needs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals |
| title_sort | exploring the routine recording of health related social needs in u s acute care hospitals |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329251342849 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sinyoungpark exploringtheroutinerecordingofhealthrelatedsocialneedsinusacutecarehospitals AT hanadiyhamadi exploringtheroutinerecordingofhealthrelatedsocialneedsinusacutecarehospitals AT samiraabdul exploringtheroutinerecordingofhealthrelatedsocialneedsinusacutecarehospitals AT aaronspaulding exploringtheroutinerecordingofhealthrelatedsocialneedsinusacutecarehospitals AT jingxu exploringtheroutinerecordingofhealthrelatedsocialneedsinusacutecarehospitals AT meizhao exploringtheroutinerecordingofhealthrelatedsocialneedsinusacutecarehospitals |