Applying Evidence to Address Social Needs in Health Care: Insights from Complex Care Experts
The Better Care Playbook
Helping you find the best in evidence-based and promising practices to improve care for people with complex needs.
Factors outside the health care system — housing and food insecurity, lack of employment and transportation, and social isolation — significantly impact people’s health. Recognizing this, health care entities and policymakers are investing in interventions to address patients’ social needs. What does the evidence say about the effectiveness of these programs? How can research inform policy and decision-making?
In fall 2024, the Better Care Playbook, in partnership with the Camden Coalition and UPMC Health Plan, co-hosted a symposium, Social Needs in Healthcare: Turning Evidence into Practice. The event featured panels of national complex care experts, including clinical leaders, policymakers, researchers, and people with lived experience. Speakers discussed what they are observing in their communities, highlighted research on the most effective strategies for addressing social needs in health care, and shared how they translate evidence into practice at the local, state, and national levels. This blog post outlines key themes from the convening.