Understanding Patient Hesitancy and Improving Trust in Health Care Systems
New research explores how trust, discrimination, social isolation, and patient-centered communication impact US adults' comfort in sharing information about social determinants of health (SDOH) needs with health care providers, with implications for improving health care systems and policies.
Studies have shown that patients across various health care settings have at least one social need, with food insecurity, housing instability, and transportation difficulties being key concerns. To better integrate social needs into health care, physicians have been urged to screen patients for social needs and improve linkages with community programs and resources. Patient-centered communication (PCC) could play a vital role in helping health care providers create a comfortable environment for patients to share their social needs information, leading to increased trust and improved decision-making.
Data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (cycle 6) with a sample of 6252 US adults were used to assess participants' comfort level in sharing information about social needs, such as food insecurity, transportation difficulties, and housing instability, through weighted bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models.
Researchers found that participants who experienced discrimination while seeking medical care based on race and ethnicity were more likely to feel uncomfortable sharing food about insecurity, housing instability, and transportation issues. Those who had high trust in the health care system were less likely to feel uncomfortable sharing certain social needs information. Factors such as PCC and social isolation scores greatly impacted participants' comfort levels in sharing social needs information.
“As the US healthcare system continues to evolve and social needs screening activities become more common, understanding and addressing factors that influence US adults' comfort levels in sharing their social needs information with healthcare providers is crucial for developing patient-centered and holistic healthcare practices,” said researchers.
Reference
Ahuja NA, Gulabani M, Ahuja NA. Factors affecting U.S. adults’ comfort level in sharing social needs information with healthcare providers. Patient Educ Couns. 2025;130:108493. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2024.108493
