With a growing number of programs designed to address the social determinants of individuals’ health care challenges, the question arises as to how to define “success” in those approaches.
A recent article on the Health Affairs Blog addresses this question by illustrating the many variables that go into determining what constitutes “success” and suggesting that success be viewed from a number of perspectives, including:
- success for entire communities
- success from the perspective of individual patients
- success based on the effectiveness of addressing specific social needs (such as housing, transportation, or food security)
The article also describes the different ways that success can be defined and measured.
This is an especially important matter for urban safety-net hospitals because so many of these new programs will be launched in the generally low-income communities they serve.
Learn more by reading the article “Defining Success In Resolving Health-Related Social Needs,” which can be found here.
