Which statement best describes addressing social determinants of health during a primary care visit?

• A. Screen for housing, nutrition, safety, transportation, and income; connect to resources; document and monitor.
• B. Assume social determinants are addressed by general practice.
• C. Create a tailored care plan based on screening results and connect to relevant community resources; document progress and follow up.
• D. Refer all patients to social workers regardless of need.

Answer: (C)

Addressing social determinants of health in a primary care visit means actively identifying a patient’s social needs, then turning those findings into a tailored plan that connects them with appropriate resources and follows up over time. The strongest approach starts with compassionate, focused screening for factors like housing, nutrition, safety, transportation, and income, and uses what’s learned to craft a care plan that is specific to the patient. That plan should link to relevant community resources, be clearly documented, and include a plan for follow-up to monitor progress and adjust as needed. This ensures the patient’s social barriers are actually addressed and tracked, not just acknowledged.

Other approaches fall short because they either assume social needs are already covered by general practice, rely on a one-size-fits-all referral without tailoring to the individual, or skip the essential step of documenting and following up to measure whether the needs are being met.