Na’amah Razon, MD, PhD; Laura Gottlieb, MD, MPH
Corresponding Author: Na’amah Razon, MD, PhD; Department of Family and Community Medicine - University of California, Davis.
Contact Email: nrazon@ucdavis.edu
Section: Brief Report
Publication Date: 3/22/2022
PURPOSE: To analyze transportation screening and assessment questions used in social risk screening tools to understand how these tools assess patients’ mobility and transportation needs.
METHODS: We conducted content analysis of transportation screening and assessment tools used in adult healthcare delivery settings.
RESULTS: We identified 23 unique social risk screening tools; 14 included at least one transportation question. Transportation screeners differed in terms of content domain, structure, and response options. Existing transportation screening and assessment tools do not uniformly or comprehensively assess transportation needs. Questions typically fail to surface relevant information on financial constraints, disability, local transportation options, and social isolation that should influence related interventions.
CONCLUSIONS: Development of a brief screening question that broadly captures transportation insecurity followed by a more comprehensive assessment triggered by positive response could enable policymakers and health systems to better identify individuals’ facing transportation insecurity and to develop transportation solutions that address patients’ transportation needs.