Screening for social needs: Guiding care teams to engage patients

Screening for Social Needs: Guiding Care Teams to Engage Patients is a tool to help hospitals and health systems facilitate sensitive conversations with patients about their nonmedical needs that may be a barrier to good health. It is the latest effort by The Value Initiative to promote the field’s work to drive value by lowering cost and improving outcomes.

In partnership with other community stakeholders, hospitals are addressing the social factors that affect individuals beyond their exam room walls. A crucial step to addressing patients’ social needs is having a conversation to fully understand what they are experiencing.

The tool includes strategic considerations for implementing a screening program, tips for tailoring screenings to hospitals’ unique communities, case examples and a list of national organizations that can help connect patients with local resources.