PRAPARE®
Download PRAPARE® screening tool
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is PRAPARE®?
PRAPARE® is the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences. A nationally recognized and standardized patient social risk assessment tool that is evidence-based and stakeholder-driven. PRAPARE® contains measures on 21 social drivers of health that align with national initiatives, including the standardized codification sets under ICD-10, LOINC and the Uniform Data System (UDS).
What does PRAPARE® measure?
PRAPARE® measures the following core categories:
- Personal Characteristics: Race, Ethnicity, Farmworker Status, Language Preference, veteran Status.
- Family and Home: Housing Status and Stability, Neighborhood
- Money and Resources: Education, Employment, Insurance Status, Income, Material Security
- Social and Emotional Health: Transportation Needs
- Other Measures include: Incarceration History, Refugee Status, Safety and Domestic Violence
For additional information, please view the PRAPARE® Assessment Tool.
What makes PRAPARE® unique and effective?
- Actionable
- Widely Used
- Built into EHRs and other HIT
- Standardized
- Works in any workflow setting
- Patient-Centered
- Evidence Based & Stakeholder Driven
- Designed to Accelerate Systemic Change
Is the use of PRAPARE® limited to health centers only?
The use of PRAPARE® is not limited to health centers and could be used by others including community-based or social service organizations, hospitals, and health systems.
Do all PRAPARE® questions need to be answered for the assessment to be completed?
It is encouraged to ask a full set of core questions as the collection of data becomes a standardized pathway to address patient-level risks and broader community issues. Additionally, using the full PRAPARE® is important when adding social data into risk stratification.
Is there a cost associated with using PRAPARE®?
The paper form of PRAPARE® is available for free to end users. Health Information Technology (HIT) vendors and software companies supporting end users and looking to integrate PRAPARE® into their digital products, email prapare@nachc.org for additional information on IP and licensing agreements.
Which staff should conduct the PRAPARE® screening?
Both clinical and non-clinical staff can administer PRAPARE® (e.g., nurses, MAs, LCSWs, case managers, CHWs, etc.). Many organizations administer the screener through the use of tablets and other IT enabled approaches.
Is PRAPARE® available in other languages besides English?
Yes- PRAPARE® has been translated into over 20 languages. Health centers have been engaged to validate and test the translations to ensure that they were accurate and culturally appropriate.
How often should a PRAPARE® form be asked?
Organizations can decide on the frequency of readministering PRAPARE®, although we recommend at least annually. For example, race and ethnicity might be answered once and then revalidated annually. Or a health center might determine that a material security question is needed to be asked at each visit due to the local economic condition or as a follow up to a previous positive screen.
What workflows should we plan for in order to implement PRAPARE®?
Health centers that use PRAPARE® develop individualized workflows based on their local care team and staffing models. A concept of “no wrong door” can be implemented, where any staff member can administer the questions based on the center workflow and staffing resources available.
PRAPARE® Implementation and Action Toolkit, Chapter 5 (Workflow Implementation)
Which Electronic Health Records currently include PRAPARE®?
There are several Electronic Health Records (EHR) that have PRAPARE® built out on their platforms. To confirm if your EHR has PRAPARE® please contract the National PRAPARE® team at prapare@nachc.org
How do you engage health center leaders, care team members and other staff, and boards in administering PRAPARE®?
It is important to demonstrate how PRAPARE® is making a difference in your organization and/or your community to sustain engagement and motivation.
There are several ways to do this:
- Celebrate successes!
- Encourage friendly competition.
- Visualize and share the data.
- Apply lessons learned.
Is PRAPARE® validated?
The PRAPARE® Validation Fact Sheet highlights how PRAPARE® was developed and validated using the 8 “Gold Standard” Stages of Measure Development.
Is there a version of PRAPARE® that is tailored for pediatrics/adolescents?
Currently there is no PRAPARE® version that is specifically tailored for pediatrics/adolescents. There are health centers who have modified PRAPARE® to be used with their pediatric and adolescent populations, which varies based on their staffing model and engagement of family members. The National NACHC team hopes to develop a Pediatric/ Adolescent version of PRAPARE® in the coming years.
How can I stay updated on the latest from PRAPARE®?
