Social Determinants of Health Screening at an Urban Emergency Department Urgent Care During COVID-19

Introduction: Social determinants of health (SDoH) impact patients ’ health outcomes, yet screening methods in emergency departments (ED) are not consistent or standardized. The SDoH-related health disparities may have widened during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, especially among patients who primarily receive their medical care in EDs. We sought to i dentify SDoH among ED urgent care patients during the COVID-19 pandemic at an urban safety-net hospital, assess the impact of the pandemic on their SDoH, study the feasibility of SDoH screening and resource referrals, and identify preferred methods of resource referrals and barriers to accessing res ources.Methods: Research assistants screened ED urgent care patients using a validated SDoH screener, inquiring about the impact of COVID-19 on their SDoH. A printed resource guide was provided. Two weeks later, a follow-up telephone survey assessed for barriers to resource connection...

Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - July 17, 2023 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Hong, Haeyeon Source Type: research