Standardized screening of elderly patients' needs for social work assessment in primary care: Use of the SF-36

Fewer hospitalizations and decreased lengths of stay in the hospital have r esulted in nn increased need for extensive support services and continuing care planning for elderly people in primary care. Early identification of e lderly patients needing community and hospital nonmedical services is neces sary so that timely appropriate services can be delivered. This study addre sses the issue of whether a standardized health-related quality of life que stionnaire, the SF-36, can be used independently as a screen predicting pri mary care elderly patients' needs for social work assessment. In addition, the question of what scales on the SF-36 a social worker would use to scree n patients in need of assessment is explored.