Implementing screening for social determinants of health using the Core 5 screening tool

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Patient Outcomes
• Public Health

Background:

• Social determinants of health (SDOH) significantly impact overall health outcomes.
• Hospitals often fail to screen for social risk factors, hindering patient resource connection.
• Identifying social needs is crucial for addressing health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate the Core 5 social risk screening tool's efficacy and usability.
• To assess the tool's ability to identify social risk factors in a presurgical spine population.
• To establish a referral workflow for patients with identified social needs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Model for Improvement framework for implementation and evaluation.
• Implemented a patient self-report Core 5 social risk screening tool.
• Assessed staff feasibility and usability through surveys.

Main Results:

• Screening identified patients with social risk factors, with 59% of the presurgical spine population screened.
• Ten percent of screened patients had social needs requiring pre-surgical intervention.
• Staff reported high acceptance and usability of the Core 5 tool (average score 4.4/5).

Conclusions:

• The Core 5 tool is effective and usable for identifying social risk factors in presurgical spine patients.
• Screening facilitates the connection of patients with essential resources.
• Further evaluation in diverse clinical settings is recommended.