Citation

Dworkin PH, Garg A. Pediatrics 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Boston University and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Academy of Pediatrics)

DOI

10.1542/peds.2019-2395

PMID

31548336

Abstract

Profound advances in our understanding of the importance of the biology of adversity, including social determinants of health (SDoHs) and adverse childhood experiences, have led to an important reexamination of deterrents and promoters of children’s optimal health, development, and wellbeing. The critical impact of these social, environmental, and behavioral determinants has informed the development of SDoH screening tools as well as the debate on the utility of such an approach.1

In a timely and well-written article, Sokol et al2 and a team of interdisciplinary colleagues cite the interest in addressing SDoHs but appropriately lament the “…deficit in understanding the present state of the science.” They undertake a systematic review of SDoH screening tools and examine their psychometric properties, their efficacy in detecting early indicators of risk, and the extent to which they are shown to inform care. Their comprehensive search yields only 17 studies encompassing 11 screeners and highlights the disappointing but perhaps not surprising limitations in assessing psychometric properties and the inability to answer the question as to whether referrals and interventions after screening address SDoHs and, most importantly, improve child …

Language: en