Developing a Research Agenda on Social Interventions in Health Care

The project is concerned with generating a consensus research agenda to help focus research efforts and research funding activities on priority questions for linking medical and non‐medical services that reflects the priorities of important stakeholder groups. To accomplish this, the team will use a modified Delphi process with three types of experts: health services researchers, health sector leaders/implementers, and community‐based social service organization leaders to understand what each group sees as the most important research priorities. The team will establish a national panel of some 60 experts from these three stakeholder groups. Dr. Gottlieb and colleagues will examine any differences in how each of the groups views research priorities and will develop a research agenda that reflects the needs and priorities of all three groups.

The project will increase the visibility of screening and intervention programs which incorporate patients’ social needs into clinical care. The work is aimed at researchers, implementers, philanthropists, and government agencies, all of whom are actively making investment decisions around the health care sector’s role in addressing patients’ social and environmental needs.