Medical Student Screening of Social Determinants of Health in Urogynecology Surgical Patients

Growing evidence documents the impacts that social determinants of health (SDoH) can have on medical and surgical outcomes, but many physicians report lacking the time to screen and address patients' SDoH. This gap creates an opportunity for medical students to apply their knowledge of SDoH in a clinical setting, actively participate as members of the medical team, and address a critical aspect of patient care.

In a pilot project, medical students rotating on the urogynecology surgical service were tasked with calling patients the day prior to their surgical encounter and asking them SDoH screening questions. To evaluate the completion of SDoH screening by medical students, a data analysis team determined if medical students added or updated patients' SDoH data in the medical record within 72 hours preoperatively or by 24 hours postoperatively.

Between May 21 and October 31, 2024, 18 medical students screened 44 patients for social risk factors. Excluding tobacco use and transportation needs screening, medical students conducted at least 90% of the SDoH screenings for these patients.

This project demonstrates that medical students are a resource that can be used to increase the rates of patient SDoH screening, particularly for factors that are not routinely screened. In addition, this project demonstrates how SDoH screening can be efficiently implemented on a busy surgical service without interrupting patient flow.