Table 1.

Characteristics of Included Studies (N=8)

Study, year (reference)	Country	Population	Participants, N	Design	Objectives	Findings	Relevant tools or frameworks
Parunyan et al. 202034	USA	Third year medical students	158; 41 finished surveys	Quasi-experimental mixed methods; quality improvement	Assess intervention on students’ knowledge and skills with screening and referral tools	- Improved confidence in giving resources (p<.001) - 63% used resource directory - Meaningful to have access to screening and resources; should not only be required from students - Inpatient setting is too difficult/busy for screening - Challenges using EHR technology for resources - Unequipped to recommend resources	THRIVE
Salma et al. 201648	Tunisia	Sixty-five years and older; Average age 73.5 ± 6.6 years	60	Case series	Report on the nutrition and activity in daily living among elderly inpatients	- Most were middle class - 18% lived alone; 18% had social and family issues - 73% were vulnerable or exposed to malnutrition - 13% were functionally dependent	MNA-SF, ADL of KATZ, SDoH tool not listed
Bui et al. 202037	USA	Patients at high risk for readmissions, living in low-income postal codes; 76% were black, 55% female	187	Quasi-experimental; quality improvement	Implement SDoH screening program to reduce readmissions and enhance primary care transitions. To learn about barriers to community referrals.	- Food security was often addressed - More challenges with addressing utility bill payments, home and caregiving support - Food insecurity was reported to have a decreased readmission rate from 38% to 27% after intervention - Increase in primary care provider follow-up visits from 22% to 35%	PRAPARE
Yaman et al. 200346	Turkey	Hospitalized adult patients; mean (±SD) age: 41±17 years, 62% women	99	Case series	Describe health-related QOL among inpatients	- Low QOL, particularly among women - Association between QOL and social relationships and environment (p<.05), and physical health, independence, psychological well-being (p<.001)	WHOQOL
Nardi et al. 200751	Italy	DHD patients in a medium size country hospital, mean age: 82	99	Cross-sectional	Understand the prevalence of DHD, report clinical and social background of patients, provide targeted post-discharge assistance	- DHD represented 5.4% of annual patient admissions - 95% lacked family support - 24% experienced malnutrition - 58% lacked autonomy in daily living - 80% had functional and/or cognitive challenges	BINA index, SDoH tool not listed
Williams et al. 201945	USA	Fourth year medical students	38 intervention notes and 24 control notes	Quasi-experimental	Assess if framework assisted students with non-biomedical history taking, and whether it is viewed as applicable or allow social factors to be intervened on	- Intervention group had more biopsychosocial information domains excluding behavioral health (p≤.001) - Reported enhanced team-based care and recognition of SDoH information that could be assisted with the provision of interdisciplinary team and resources	Six-domain biopsychosocial framework
Smith et al. 201743	Canada	Patients discharged from large teaching hospital, median age: 67 (IQR 50–81), female (54%), and white (69%)	1427	Prospective cohort	Understand sociodemographic relationship with 30-day readmissions	- 46% did not want to disclose or did not know their income - Most frequently reported income was below CAD$20,000 (14%) - 80% were comfortable speaking with healthcare team in English - 57% had post-secondary schooling - 14% had 30-day readmissions; sociodemographics were not associated with readmissions	Measuring Health Equity
Kearney et al. 202035	USA	COPD patients in urban safety-net hospital	51	Mixed methods	To examine SDoH challenges among COPD patients and barriers to self-management	- 86% had at least one social need; of those, 71% desired help, particularly with transportation to medical appointments, housing, food, and mental health - SDoH were barriers to managing COPD symptoms	THRIVE

MNA-SF, Mini Nutritional Assessment short-form; ADL, Activities of Daily Living; PRAPARE, Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Risks, Assets, and Experiences; WHOQOL, World Health Organization Quality of Life; DHD, difficult hospital discharges; BINA, Breve Indice della Non Autosufficienza.