Screening for the Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health at a School-Based Clinic

Screening and providing interventions for adverse social and behavioral determinants of health (SBDOHs) can potentially improve health outcomes. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the feasibility of screening for SBDOHs during an episodic visit at a school-based clinic and to evaluate whether it increased identification of and intervention for adverse SBDOHs.

Common adverse SBDOHs were identified through stakeholder focus groups, a community assessment report, and interviews. Based on this information, a screening set was assembled with validated screening tools. All students presenting for episodic complaints were screened with this set, and the time taken to answer was documented. The number of SBDOHs identified and the number of interventions provided was compared with student encounters before introduction of the screening set.

The majority of screenings were completed in 5 minutes or less, and identification of adverse SBDOHs increased, as did the number of referrals and/or interventions.