Table 1.
Social and economic needs screening tools
| Name | Format | Source | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Accountable Health Communities Screening Tool | 8-page questionnaire with sections on living situation, food, transport, utilities, safety, financial strain, employment family and community support, physical activity, substance use, mental health and disabilities | Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services https://innovation.cms.gov/files/worksheets/ahcm-screeningtool.pdf | Billioux A et al., 2017 [78] |
| CLEAR |
4-page, 4-step guide for front-line health workers Step 1: Treat Step 2 Ask (with suggested questions on e.g., employment, food and housing) Step 3: Refer (with suggested referral pathways) Step 4: Advocate (with suggestions for influencing community-level change) |
CLEAR Collaboration, McGill University https://www.mcgill.ca/clear/files/clear/clear_toolkit_2015_-_english_1.pdf |
Naz A et al., 2016 [79] |
| Health Begins Upstream Risk Screening Tool | 4-page questionnaire with sections on education, employment, social connection and isolation, physical activity, immigration, overall financial strain, housing insecurity, food insecurity, diet, transportation, exposure to violence and stress with different questions for first visit and annual follow-up | https://www.aamc.org/system/files/c/2/442878-chahandout1.pdf | Bleacher H et al., 2019 [76] |
| Health Leads Social Needs Screening Toolkit | 21-page guide to creating a screening toolkit with suggested domains and questions, tips and a sample one-page screening questionnaire in English and Spanish |
Health Leads https://healthleadsusa.org/resources/the-health-leads-screening-toolkit/ |
Health Leads [73] |
| Medical-Legal Partnership Screening Guide | 6-page screening guide template with sections in income, housing an and utilities, education and employment, legal status personal and family stability, |
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership |
National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership [80] |
| Patient-Centered Assessment method | 2-page questionnaire for health care provider to document assessment of patient’s health and well-being, social environment, health literacy, and required support |
National Health Service |
Maxwell M et al., 2018 [81] |
| Poverty: A Clinical Tool for Primary Care Providers |
2-page document with 3 steps: Step 1: Screen everyone with the question: do you have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month? Step 2: Consider poverty as a disease risk factor Step 3: Intervene to ask every patient if they have filled out their tax forms (required for benefits access) and suggested questions for specific at-risk groups |
Centre for Effective Practice https://portal.cfpc.ca/resourcesdocs/uploadedFiles/CPD/Poverty_flow-Tool-Final-2016v4-Ontario.pdf |
Centre for Effective Practice, 2016 [82] |
| Protocol for Responding to an Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks and Experiences (PRAPARE) | 2-page questionnaire with sections on family and home, money and resources, and social and emotional health |
National Association of Community Health Centers |
National Association of Community Health Centers, 2016 [74] |
| Total Health Assessment Questionnaire for Medicare Members | 4-page questionnaire with sections on physical and mental health, living situation an education |
Kaiser Permanente |
Kaiser Permanente, 2017 [83] |
| Well Child Evaluation Community Resources (WE CARE) | 2-page, 10 question questionnaire on education employment, alcohol and drug use, safety, food and housing insecurity | Garg A et al., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD | Garg A, et al., 2007 [84] |
| WellRx Questionnaire | 0.5 page questionnaire with 11 questions on unmet material needs, requested help for specific needs (e.g. finding employment, accessing education) and safety | Page-Reeves J et al., University of Albuquerque, NM | Pages-Reeves, J et al., 2016 [85] |
| Your Current Life Situation | 2–5-page questionnaire with sections on current living situation (e.g., housing and food insecurity) and health behaviours (e.g., alcohol and drug use |
Kaiser Permanente |
Sundar KR, 2018 [86] |