A National Snapshot of Social Determinants of Health Documentation in Emergency Departments

Introduction:Documentation and measurement of social determinants of health (SDoH) are critical to clinical care and to healthcare delivery system reforms targeting health equity. The SDoH are codi fied in the International Classification of Disease 10th Rev (ICD-10) Z codes. However, Z codes are listed in only1-2% of inpatient charts. Little is known about the frequency of Z code utilization specifically among emergency department (ED) patient populations nationally.Methods:This was a repeated cross-sectional analysis of ED visit data in the United States from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample from 2016 –2019. We characterized the use of Z codes and described associations between Z code use and patient- and hospital-level factors including the following: age; gender; race; insurance status; ED disposition; ED size; hospital urban-rural status; ownership; and clinical conditions. We calculated una djusted odds ratios for likelihood...
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research