Use & Optimization News

EHR-Based SDOH Screening Accuracy Falls Short for Housing Instability

While EHR-based SDOH screening and external single-domain questionnaires share much of the same wording, they may measure different constructs, a new study found.

EHR-Based SDOH Screening Accuracy Falls Short for Housing Instability

Source: Getty Images

By Hannah Nelson

- EHR-based social determinant of health (SDOH) screening questionnaires under identified patients with housing instability and financial strain compared to single-domain screening tools, according to a study published in JAMA.

Public health, healthcare delivery organizations, federal agencies, and researchers have advocated for better collection of patient SDOH data. Social factors can influence referrals to community partners, increase awareness of patient needs, measure population health, and improve risk prediction models.

Popular EHR platforms include multidomain screening questionnaires assessing SDOH. Researchers evaluated the accuracy of EHR-based questionnaires using single-domain questionnaires on food insecurity, housing instability, and financial strain as external standards.