Content analysis of transportation screening questions in social risk assessment tools: Are we capturing transportation insecurity?

PURPOSE: To analyze transportation screening and assessment questions used in social risk screening tools to understand how these tools assess patients' mobility and transportation needs. METHODS: We conducted content analysis of transportation screening and assessment tools used in adult health care delivery settings. RESULTS: We identified 23 unique social risk screening tools; 14 included at least 1 transportation question. Transportation screeners differed in terms of content domain, structure, and response options. Existing transportation screening and assessment tools do not uniformly or comprehensively assess transportation needs. Questions typically fail to surface relevant information on financial constraints, disability, local transportation options, and social isolation that should influence related interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Development of a brief screening question that broadly captures transportation insecurity followed by a more comprehensive assessment triggered by positive response could enable policy makers and health systems to better identify individuals facing transportation insecurity and to develop transportation solutions that address patients' transportation needs.