Evidence & Resource Library Definitions

Each resource in the Evidence and Resource Library is categorized based on the following characteristics:

Resource Type

These filters identify the type of resource. The categories are mutually exclusive.

Peer Reviewed Research: Research articles published in peer-reviewed journals.
Issue Briefs & Reports: Reports, issue briefs, and other documents not published in peer-reviewed journals.
Commentaries & Blogs: Opinion pieces published in peer-reviewed journals or through other forums.
Tools & Toolkits: Tools and toolkits related to social interventions, including screening tools.
Webinars Slides & Recordings: Slides and recordings from webinars, podcasts, and other presentations.

Study Design

These filters identify the design of the study. This pertains mainly to research studies or reports. The categories are mutually exclusive.

Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT): Intervention studies in which participants are randomly allocated into intervention and comparison groups.
Pre-post with Comparison Group: Intervention studies in which intervention participants are compared to a comparison group, but assignment to the intervention and comparison group is not random.
Pre-post without Comparison Group: Intervention studies in which there is no comparison group
Review: Syntheses of existing research to summarize the current state of knowledge. Includes both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed reviews.
Other Study Designs: Includes all other studies.

These filters identify the resources SDH focus, if there is one. The categories are not mutually exclusive.

Built Environment
Childcare
Criminal Justice
Discrimination
Economic Security
Education/Literacy
Employment
Food/Hunger
Health Care Access
Housing Quality
Housing Stability
Immigration
Legal Services
Public Benefits
Racism
Social Support/Social Isolation
Transportation
Utilities
Violence/Safety
Not Specified: This filter identifies resources that relate to SDH but do not specify any specific domain.

Population

These filters identify the resource’s population focus. The categories are not mutually exclusive.

Children and Youth
Complex Patients: Includes high risk, high utilizing, chronically ill patients with comorbidities.
Elderly
Health Care Professionals
Homeless
Immigrants
Medicaid-insured
Medicare insured
Pregnant/New Mothers
Veterans

Outcomes

These filters identify the types of outcomes included in the resource. This pertains mainly to research studies or reports. The categories are not mutually exclusive. Measures can be quantitative or qualitative

Process: Measures of the process of implementing a social intervention (e.g. intervention uptake, receipt of services, implementation barriers/facilitators, etc.).
Social Needs/SDH: Measures of social risks, social needs and social determinants of health (e.g. housing & food insecurity, education, economic security stability).
Health & Health Behaviors: Measures of physical or mental health as well as of behaviors known to impact health (e.g. healthy eating, smoking, physical activity).
Patient experience of care: Measures of how patients experience health care and health care interventions (e.g. measures of patient satisfaction).
Provider experience of care: Measures of health care professionals’ job experiences (e.g. measures of burnout and provider satisfaction).
Utilization: Measures of health care utilization (e.g. ED visits, hospital readmissions, primary care visits).
Cost: Measures of health care costs and return on investment.

Screening Research

This identifies resources that include information on social risk screening, including screening tools and toolkits and studies of screening tools and practices.

SIREN Resources

This identifies resources created by SIREN.

Siren webinars
Screening tools comparison table
Compendium of medical terminology codes for social risk factors
Siren issue briefs/reports