Defining Emergency Department Readiness for Social Data Collection: Insights from Nurses’ Perspectives

Emergency departments (EDs) play a crucial role in caring for vulnerable populations, necessitating the collection of social data alongside medical data. This qualitative study explored ED nurses’ perspectives to define readiness for social data collection. Semi-structured interviews with 18 ED nurses from hospitals across 9 U.S. states revealed that readiness is shaped by practical barriers, resource availability, and institutional culture. Key constructs of readiness include capability, opportunity, motivation, and perceived need. These findings provide a framework for developing an assessment tool to evaluate ED readiness for social data integration, laying the groundwork for improved healthcare practices.