Comparison of the Performance of Three Health Related Social Needs Screening Tools

This study compared the performance of and patient preference for New York City Health and Hospital's (NYC H + H) social needs screener to 2 widely used screeners, a version of the Accountable Health Communities screener and the WellRx screener, that include the same core domains of social needs.

Two NYC H + H primary care clinics provided data for analysis. A convenience sample completed 1 of the 2 other screeners during May-June 2024, in addition to the NYC H + H screener. Analyses compared rates of needs detected and number of needs identified as well as patient preference.

The H + H screener performed similarly to both alternate screeners in identifying patients with social needs, (κ = 0.7, P < .001 and κ = 0.6, P < .001). The number of positive items identified by each screener was virtually identical. Patients preferred the H + H screener to the alternates, but differences were not statistically significant.

Despite differences in question phrasing and response options, all 3 screeners performed similarly.