Admissions for Presumed Social Reasons: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Hospital Outcomes

“Social admission” is a non-diagnostic label referring to an admission to a hospital for which no medical or health condition is deemed amenable to reversibility or rehabilitation; rather, the patient's social circumstances are felt to be the sole cause of hospitalization. There is a growing realization that medical facilities are experiencing an increase in socially vulnerable patient presentations. Clinicians also face challenges in caring for this patient population, which may have atypical presentations in which medical and social complexity often align. To better understand individuals admitted for social reasons and to guide future care and research, we review (i) the epidemiology, (ii) risk factors, and (iii) health outcomes associated with being labeled as “social admission.” We draw attention to factors that may improve care for this patient population and offer potential solutions with clinical relevance. Clinicians should remain mindful that patients labelled as “social admissions” often have complex underlying medical problems, which may be acute, and are at high risk of poor outcomes.