Does Screening for SDOH Factors Impact Health Outcomes in Sepsis Patients? A Retrospective Study

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are known to influence health outcomes. The Medicare Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) and other national initiatives are prompting healthcare institutions to identify and address social needs to improve patient health outcomes after discharge. Healthcare institutions utilize surveys and in-person screenings to collect patients' SDOH information and include it in their electronic health records. Health practitioners at a regional hospital believe that the screening process itself may be leading to improved outcomes (regardless of SDOH data collected) in patients with sepsis, a common and costly primary diagnosis. By analyzing collected data, this study investigates the significance of SDOH screening on sepsis patients' outcomes of 30-day readmission. Patient data was collected from one hospital for 19 months (May 2022 - November 2023). The chi-square test is utilized to determine the relationship between the presence of SDOH screening and sepsis patients' outcomes. The purpose of this analysis is to highlight whether there is a difference in outcomes between a patient who has been screened and one who has not been screened. The analysis did not identify a significant association between SDOH screening and 30-day readmission among sepsis patients. The results help quantify the value of SDOH screening as a means of improving health outcomes, in this case, for sepsis outcomes.