Use of a Poverty Screening Question to Predict Social Determinants

• Published in: Journal for nurse practitioners Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 553 - 557
• Main Authors: Meyer, Jacqueline R., DeBonis, Ruselle S., Brodersen, Lisa D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Elsevier Inc 01.05.2022; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Child care; Clinical outcomes; Education; Family physicians; Health disparities; Homeless people; Initiatives; Medical referrals; Medical screening; Nurse practitioners; patient screening; Patients; Poverty; Primary care; social determinants of health; Social factors; Socioeconomic factors; primary care; social determinants of health; patient screening
• ISSN: 1555-4155; 1878-058X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2021.12.020

The high correlation of poverty to social determinants of health (SDoH) suggests poverty screening could be a viable first step in SDoH screening. This study examined the relationship of SDoH to poverty and evaluated whether screening revealed needs previously unknown to providers. An SDoH Survey with an embedded poverty screening question was completed by 144 urban and 141 rural primary care patients. Nine of 10 SDoH were correlated with positive poverty screening. Needs previously unknown to providers were identified. Using a poverty screening question to identify patients needing full SDoH screening is supported, with some caveats. •Research supports the need for primary care providers, including nurse practitioners, to screen for and address adverse social determinants of health in their patients.•Social determinants of health screening has many benefits but is time consuming.•This study provides early evidence for the effectiveness of a single poverty screening question to identify patients with adverse social determinants of health, who would most benefit from a full social determinants of health screening.