From Oct. 2013 to April 2014, researchers had patients complete a form indicating whether they would like to receive help with needs like paying for healthy food, prescription medicine or utility bills, finding a job or receiving assistance for housing or other financial needs. If patients indicated a need for help, researchers referred them to Health Leads advocates.
Here are five takeaways:
1. Of the more than 3,000 surveyed patients, 416 patients reported one or more unmet needs and enrolled in the Leads program.
2. More women reported one or more unmet needs than their male counterparts. Compared to patients reporting no needs, racial or ethnic minorities and patients receiving Medicaid health insurance were more likely to report one or more unmet need.
3. Researchers found a greater prevalence of conditions like diabetes and hypertension among patients with unmet needs. Patients with chronic conditions like diabetes who reported unmet needs were more likely to have difficulty controlling risk factors.
4. Patients most often cited needing assistance with food, utility payments or energy costs, prescription drugs and health insurance. At the end of the study, 62 percent of identified needs either were met or patients indicated no longer needing help.
5. The study was not long enough to determine if accessing needing services decreased identified health problems.
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