"We Ask Because We Care": Lived Experience of Social Determinants of Health Screening Among Social Workers and Nurse Case Managers. J Prim Care Community Health 2026;17:21501319261447623
Date
05/06/2026Pubmed ID
42090191Pubmed Central ID
PMC13161636DOI
10.1177/21501319261447623Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105038229037 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)Abstract
Introduction/ObjectivesSDOH screening is increasingly required, yet is often operationalized as EHR documentation. The objective of this project was to explore how social workers and nurse case managers experience SDOH screening and how care settings shape its meaning and practice.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 staff members (6 social workers, 4 nurse case managers) across inpatient and outpatient follow-up contexts in a large academic health system and analyzed transcripts using Colaizzi's phenomenological method.ResultsFive themes emerged: negotiating patient autonomy, conversational personalization, technological and systemic frustrations, staff expertise, and interprofessional collaboration. Participants reported time pressure, emotional labor, and moral distress when needs were identified without reliable pathways to assistance, and they described contrasting inpatient urgency and outpatient continuity that influenced disclosure, trust, and follow-up.ConclusionsSDOH screening was experienced as relationship-centered work that depends on supportive workflows and response capacity; implementation should pair screening mandates with training, streamlined documentation, and closed-loop referral processes.
Author List
Habrat ML, Smith SC, Ninneman A, Nelson D, Nelson LDAuthors
Lindsay D. Nelson PhD Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of WisconsinDavid A. Nelson PhD Professor in the Family and Community Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAttitude of Health Personnel
Case Managers
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Mass Screening
Qualitative Research
Social Determinants of Health
Social Workers
