Optimized Health-Related Social Needs Screening and Community Linkages

Massachusetts General Hospital236 enrolled

Overview

The objective of this study is to to understand the most effective method for health-related social need (HRSN) screening in the challenging environment of an emergency department by randomizing patients to oral or written HRSN screening in the ED.

Bilingual research assistants (RA) will screen patients for eligibility based on the predetermined criteria and approach eligible patients with a brief description of the study and opportunity for participation. Interested participants will complete a verbal consent process to reduce the barriers to participation, a brief demographic questionnaire, and an assessment of health literacy (Newest Vital Sign) followed by the Partners Healthcare HRSN screener randomized to an oral v. iPad screening strategy. After completion of the screening tool, participants will complete a secondary questionnaire asking about satisfaction with the process, the presence of additional HRSN not recorded by the Partners HealthCare screener, and their perspectives on screening. At the conclusion, all participants will be provided with standardized, bilingual list of community resources to address each of the screening domains.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

236

Conditions

Emergencies

Interventions

Oral HRSN screeningOTHER

Verbal screening delivered by an RA

Written HRSN screeningOTHER

Patient completes written screen on iPad.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. age ≥ 18 years patients and either a parent/guardian of a pediatric/cognitively disabled patient in the MGH ED, 2. triaged to the Acute, CDU, Fast Track, Urgent, and Pediatrics areas, 3. English- or Spanish-speaking, and 4. capable of informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: 1. patients unwilling to have the interview audio-recorded, 2. medically unstable patients, and 3. Section 12, lack of capacity medical hold, sexual assault, child abuse, and emotionally distressed patients.

Locations (1)

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Self-reported Satisfaction With the Screening Process

Satisfaction with screening as measured by: Please tell us how satisfied you were with the questionnaire you just took: Extremely Quite a bit Somewhat A little bit Not at all

Time frame: Immediately after completing survey

Secondary Outcomes

Number of Health Related Social Needs Reported

We will record the number of health related social needs reported

Time frame: Immediately after completing survey

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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