Understanding Social Determinants of Health by Increasing Social Needs Screening and Referral at an Outpatient Mental Health Clinic

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Screening and Referring for Social Needs at an Outpatient Clinic Paige Stodtmeister, Brenda Luther, Cynthia Garbett Key Findings: Throughout implementation of the screener, slight increases in screening were observed, however, barriers related to the site significantly affected screening rates. Background Results . • Unmet social needs are widespread and greatly influence health and well-being. • Participants completed 13 screeners over three months. • Minor increases in screening were observed for healthcare access, transportation, unemployment, and access to child or elder care. • Many clinicians fail to screen for and address social needs. • SINCERE is an electronic social needs screening tool that includes an automated referral to United Way 211. • Most participants (n=5, 83%) felt the screener was helpful; however, two participants (33%) indicated they had never used it. • Specialists from 211 provide community resources for unmet social needs. • Five participants (83%) intend to continue using the screener post-implementation. Methods • Pre and post surveys assessed barriers and facilitators of social needs screening. • A learning module about social needs screening was developed and implemented. • The SINCERE screener was implemented over three months, primarily among new patients. • Changes in screening efforts were measured after the implementation period. • The actuality of participants using the screener was significantly less than anticipated. Screening for Individual Social Needs "Most of the Time" Number of Participants (n=6) • QI project to increase social needs screening using the SINCERE screener at an outpatient mental health clinic. Conclusions 6 5 4 3 2 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 Barriers • Low enrollment of new patients to the clinic • Participants felt aware of their existing clients’ needs • Lack of confidence in resource referral skills • Fear of embarrassing/offending clients. Future Study: • Greater focus on how social needs screening may differ in a mental health setting • Adapting screeners for new vs. existing mental health clients Pre Post @uofunursing @utnurseresearch