ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00490633.

IMPORTANCE Social needs, including food, housing, utilities, transportation, and experience with interpersonal violence, are linked to health outcomes. Identifying patients with unmet social needs is a necessary first step to addressing these needs, yet little is known about the prevalence of screening. OBJECTIVE To characterize screening for social needs by physician practices and hospitals. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional survey analyses of responses by physician practices and hospitals to the 2017-2018 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems.

An improved understanding of how older adults view loneliness in relation to depression, derived from multiple methods, may inform clinical practice.