Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of a social determinants of health (SDH) screening tool and service referral on emergency department (ED) use among patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center primary care clinic. Quasi-experimental. Three-hundred and eleven English-speaking patients 18 years and older. The Core 5 SDH screening tool consists of five yes/no items assessing food, housing, utilities, transportation, and safety needs. The number of ED visits 3months before and after the intervention were collected from electronic health records. The research team administered the Core 5 SDH screening tool and if desired, referred patients with an identified need for SDH services. Approximately 43% of patients reported a SDH need with food insecurity most prevalent (62.2%). The number of ED visits was significantly lower 3months post-intervention compared to 3months before for the 125 participants who wanted and received the SDH service referral (IRR=0.64, 95% CI=0.41, 0.99) and for the 35 participants who reported receiving some/all of the needed services at the 2-week follow-up (IRR=0.36, 95% CI=0.17, 0.76). Addressing patients' SDH needs may reduce ED visits, lower healthcare costs, and ultimately, improve health.
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