Hospital and Health System Partnerships with Non-Healthcare Community Organizations to Intervene on Social Needs in the United States: A Scoping Review Protocol

Abstract

Introduction: Given the importance of the larger social context on health outcomes, investments toward social care coordination, and government priorities, it is critical to understand how to promote successful hospital/health system and non-healthcare organization partnerships to meet the social needs of underserved individuals. Objective: To conduct a scoping review to describe the characteristics of partnerships/collaborations between U.S. hospitals and health systems and non-healthcare community organizations for the delivery of social care services, including the processes, factors, and outcomes of such collaborations. Inclusion criteria: Peer-reviewed articles describing cross-sectoral collaborations/partnerships between two or more distinct organizations involving hospitals and/or health systems and non-healthcare community organizations for social care delivery. Articles must describe one or more social needs or social determinants, be published in English, and be based in the U.S. Methods: The following databases will be searched for peer-reviewed literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus, PsychInfo, and Web of Science, up to February 2025. Two independent reviewers will assess articles for eligibility during abstract and title screening and full-text screening using Covidence software. Data will be extracted and presented both narratively and using descriptive tables. We will use PRISMA-ScR for reporting. Conclusions: This review will help to elucidate the processes, factors, and outcomes of collaborations to intervene on unmet social needs across health and community sectors. This work has implications for the development of organizational guidelines and policies that encourage effective cross-sector partnerships to effectively deliver social care in the U.S.