Increase reported in encounters that are screened for food insecurity; 5.8 percent of encounters were food insecure<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
THURSDAY, Sept. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) — An electronic health record (EHR)-based food insecurity screening process can be implemented and increases screening and identification of food-insecure patients, according to a study published in the September\/October issue of the Journal for Healthcare Quality<\/em>.<\/p>\n Emily Gore, M.D., from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in New York, and colleagues developed and implemented a process to screen hospitalized adults for food insecurity and connect them with food resources, which was piloted in a 26-bed hospital medicine unit. A validated two-item screening tool was integrated into the EHR nursing admission workflow. Two weeks of nursing education were provided before process implementation. Screening adherence was monitored weekly and adjustments were made.<\/p>\n The researchers found that after 28 weeks, 61.5 percent of 587 encounters were screened (compared with a baseline of 2.2 percent); 5.8 percent of these patients were identified as food-insecure.<\/p>\n “By implementing a process for food insecurity screening and informing the assessment of all social determinants of health in our hospital setting, our pilot is a significant first step in promoting comprehensive care that addresses the overall health and well-being of patients hospitalized at our institution,” the authors write.<\/p>\n