Social isolation and integration in relation to healthcare utilisation: a cross-sectional survey of emergency department and primary care use.

BACKGROUND

Social isolation and loneliness are critical public health concerns associated with poorer health outcomes and greater demand for healthcare services. With the NHS already under significant pressure, understanding how these social factors influence healthcare demand is crucial.

AIMS: This study aimed to compare the distinct contributions of social isolation and social integration to primary care and emergency department use.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 460 UK adults were assessed on: loneliness using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, social integration using the LSNS-6 and healthcare utilisation via an adapted questionnaire. Ordinal logistic regression examined associations between social variables and service use.

RESULTS

Social isolation was consistently linked to greater use of healthcare services, increasing the odds of both primary care (OR = 1.07) and emergency department attendance (OR = 1.10, both p < 0.001). Conversely, higher social integration modestly increased primary care use (OR = 1.04, p = 0.02) but was not significantly related to emergency department visits (OR = 1.02, p = 0.34).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the importance of addressing social isolation within healthcare policies to reduce service strain and improve patient outcomes. Embedding social support mechanisms in healthcare strategies could optimise resource use while enhancing care quality.