Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 26, 2026
Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) Exam: Image Acquisition
Published on: September 22, 2023
Screening for Unmet Basic Needs in Emergency Departments: Opinions and Preferences of Adult Trauma Patients
Introduction:
Unmet basic needs exacerbate the negative impact that traumatic injuries have on patients' quality of life. Although basic needs screenings may improve outcomes in emergency departments, it is unknown how patients perceive non-medical questioning in this setting. Knowing patients' screening perceptions can ensure that resources devoted to addressing social issues have a maximum positive impact. We investigated patients' basic needs screening impressions and administration preferences in the emergency department.
Methods:
In an observational, cross-sectional study, adults with a traumatic injury completed a basic needs screening during their emergency department encounter (N = 220; 51% female; mean [SD] age = 48.86 [19.18]). Participants answered questions regarding screening impressions, with whom they would like to administer the screening, and the context in which they would most likely complete the screening. Participant preferences were summarized using frequencies and percentages. Friedman tests for 2-way analysis of variance by ranks were used to examine differences among administration preferences. Demographic differences in preferences were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman correlations.
Results:
Participants reported favorable impressions of basic needs screenings (agreement ranged from 80%-92%). Participants preferred completing the survey electronically (59%) rather than on paper (10%). They preferred being screened alone (88% agreement) or by clinical staff (eg, nurse, doctor, or social worker; 80%-82% agreement) rather than by non-clinical staff (60% agreement). No systematic demographic differences were found across impressions and administration preferences.
Discussion:
Positive patient perceptions of basic needs screening support developing screening programs in the emergency department to offer holistic, patient-centered care, whereas preference data are useful for shaping efficient, acceptable screening methods.
