Universal Screening of Social Determinants of Health at a Large US Academic Medical Center, 2018

• DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2020.305747
• Publication Date: 2020-07-14T20:29:39Z
• Authors: Dodi Meyer; Eva Lerner; Alex Phillips; Katarina Zumwalt
• Keywords: Male; Academic Medical Centers; Primary Health Care; Social Determinants of Health; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Health Literacy; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Electronic Health Records; Humans; Mass Screening; Female; New York City; Minority Groups

Universal screenings for social determinants of health (SDOH) are feasible at the health system level and enable institutions to identify unmet social needs that would otherwise go undiscovered. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital implemented SDOH screenings together with clinical screenings in four outpatient primary care sites. Aligning SDOH screening with clinical screening was crucial for establishing provider buy-in and ensuring sustainability of screening for SDOH. Despite some challenges, universal screening for SDOH has allowed NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to identify unmet needs to improve population health.