Medscape November 13, 2025
Primary care clinicians who adopt programs to address patients’ social needs are more effective at screening and assisting people who need help with food and housing, according to a new systematic review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. However, the study found inconsistent evidence that tackling social needs leads to better clinical outcomes.
A growing number of clinicians have prioritized addressing social needs in recent years. US health systems invested an estimated $2.5 billion from 2017 to 2019 on social needs initiatives, according to a February 2020 study in Health Affairs. The new analysis looked at 23 studies of such programs embedded in primary care clinics that aimed to connect patients with help managing food insecurity, transportation, and housing.
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