Early Indicators That Universal Screening for Social Risk Factors Is Essential in the Perinatal Period [ID: 1381099

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The District of Columbia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the United States. It is estimated that clinical factors account for 20% of health outcomes; the remaining 80% are attributable to other factors including social determinants of health (SDOH). This quality improvement project aims to examine the effectiveness of utilizing screening tools to identify social risk factors during the perinatal period. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of birthing individuals who completed our SDOH screening tool between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. There were 1,106 birthing individuals screened. Social determinants of health were divided into seven risk categories: food insecurity, housing conditions, transportation, safety, legal, finance, and social support. Occurrences of each risk category were analyzed and compared for those who screened at both the pregnancy and postpartum stages. RESULTS: Of the 1,106 patients screened, 72% of the patients screened positive by reporting at least one social risk factor. Of those who screened positive, 81% requested general support. The primary needs identified were transportation (42%) and housing conditions (27%). Of 216 patients who were seen during pregnancy and postpartum, 24% had a decrease in the number of positive social risk categories from pregnancy to postpartum; 24% had the same; and 52% had an increase. There was a decrease in the number of patients with housing conditions; transportation needs increased. CONCLUSION: A majority of our perinatal patients report at least one social risk factor. The next step is to strengthen our ability to respond to resource needs identified by routine screening.