A social work department develops and tests a screening mechanism to identify high social risk situations.

This paper describes a model for developing and testing a screening mechanism to identify high psychosocial risk patient situations in need of early intervention by social workers. Although the criteria developed need further refinement, it was found that multiple criteria are significantly more predictive of high risk than single factors and that three variables, (1) severity of illness: life threatening, (2) severity of illness: physically dysfunctional; and (3) chronic illness were good predictors of need for social work services. It is suggested that similar screening mechanisms be developed and utilized in hospitals throughout the country.