Health-related social needs (HRSNs) can lead to missed imaging appointments among cancer patients, according to a study published April 7 in the Journal of the American College of Roentgenology.
The complexity of health-related social needs can negatively affect patient care, wrote a team led by Angelica Gordon, MD, of the University of California, Irvine.
“HRSNs comprise a complex system of factors affecting patients and their families,” the group noted. “HRSNs impact patients’ quality of life and care in ways that result in delays in diagnosis, treatment, and overall patient care.”
It’s known that health-related social needs (HRSNs) can lead to health disparities, including in the arena of cancer care, the team explained. But the link between HRSNs and missed imaging appointments among cancer patients has not been well understood. To address the knowledge gap, Gordon and colleagues assessed the health-related social needs screening rate, health-related social needs prevalence, and the association of health-related social needs with missed imaging appointments among patients with cancer.
The team performed a study that included 3,495 patients who completed an oncology wellness form between January 2022 and September 2023 and who had an imaging exam scheduled within three months after filling out the form (of the total study cohort, 2,890 patients had an imaging exam scheduled).
The form assessed HRSNs such as financial strain, lack of transportation access, and housing instability, as well as patients’ preference for written or verbal information about services to meet these needs. The researchers then evaluated any associations between HRSNs and missed imaging appointments.
Of the patients who filled out the forms, 22.9% reported HRSNs; of these, 82.9% were related to financial hardship; 40.2% were related to transportation; and 37.5% were related to housing concerns. The team also reported the following:
- Only 6.5% and 4.4% of patients who stated they had health-related social needs reported a desire for written information or to speak with someone about these needs.
- Of those patients who reported HRSNs, 70% missed at least one imaging encounter in the subsequent three months.
- After the investigators adjusted for sociodemographic factors, patients reporting health-related social needs had higher odds of missing their imaging appointment (odds ratio, 1.29, with 1 as reference).
How can HRSNs be addressed? There are a number of options, according to Gordon and colleagues.
“Utilizing patient portals, integrating community resource referral systems with electronic medical records for automated referrals, and fostering partnerships with community organizations can help address unmet HRSNs, regardless of the encounter type [at which patients are] screened [for them],” they concluded. “Additionally, prioritizing at-risk patients who are willing to accept help, and tracking whether referrals are completed can optimize resource allocation and improve intervention outcomes.”
The complete study can be found here.
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