Open-source tools and frameworks for caregiving support and social determinants of health assessment

GiveCare Tools is an open-source repository providing frameworks, assessment tools, and utilities for organizations building caregiving support systems. Our flagship tool is the GC-SDOH (GiveCare Social Determinants of Health) assessment framework - a comprehensive, evidence-based screening tool designed to identify and address social factors impacting health outcomes in caregiving contexts.

These tools are used by givecareapp.com and are freely available for healthcare organizations, non-profits, researchers, and developers building solutions that address the whole-person needs of caregivers and care recipients.

Social determinants of health affect millions of caregivers and care recipients. By making these tools open source, we aim to:

• Enable wider adoption of SDOH screening in caregiving contexts
• Foster collaboration among healthcare innovators
• Accelerate research and validation of assessment tools
• Reduce barriers for under-resourced organizations
• Build a community-driven approach to improving care outcomes

A comprehensive 30-question assessment tool evaluating six priority zones using a consistent 1-5 scale:

• P1: Relationship & Social Support (8 questions, 26.7%) - Social connections and caregiving support
• P2: Physical Health (2 questions, 6.7%) - Caregiver physical wellbeing and rest
• P3: Housing & Environment (4 questions, 13.3%) - Housing stability and safety
• P4: Financial Resources (8 questions, 26.7%) - Economic barriers and financial strain
• P5: Legal & Navigation (6 questions, 20.0%) - Healthcare navigation and legal preparedness
• P6: Emotional Wellbeing (2 questions, 6.7%) - Emergency preparedness and neighborhood safety

Documentation: See GC-SDOH.md for complete assessment questions, scoring guidelines, and implementation details.

Key Features:

• Evidence-based questions adapted from validated SDOH screening tools
• 5-6 minute completion time
• Consistent 1-5 rating scale across all questions
• Zone-based risk scoring (Low/Moderate/High per zone)
• Zone-specific resource recommendations
• Caregiver-specific adaptations
• Multiple language support ready
• Privacy-first design

Assessment Framework:

• Complete GC-SDOH-30 Documentation - Full assessment questions, scoring, and guidelines
• Adaptive Assessment Pattern - 3-tiered progressive assessment implementation guide

• Assessment implementation templates
• Scoring algorithms and SDKs
• Resource database schemas
• Integration examples
• Analytics and reporting tools
• Multi-language assessment versions

• Healthcare Organizations - Integrate SDOH screening into care coordination
• Non-Profit Organizations - Identify client needs and connect to resources
• Research Institutions - Study social determinants in caregiving populations
• Government Programs - Screen for social needs in public benefit programs
• Technology Platforms - Build caregiving support applications
• Community Health Centers - Implement holistic care assessment

1. Review the GC-SDOH.md documentation
2. Adapt questions to your organizational context
3. Implement scoring and risk stratification
4. Connect to local resource databases
5. Track outcomes and validate results

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/[your-org]/give-care-tools.git
cd give-care-tools

# More implementation details coming soon

The GC-SDOH framework can be implemented in:

• Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems
• Patient intake workflows
• Community health worker tools
• Care coordination platforms
• Telehealth applications

The GC-SDOH assessment draws from established, validated screening tools:

• PRAPARE - Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients' Assets, Risks, and Experiences
• AHC Screening Tool - Accountable Health Communities Health-Related Social Needs Screening
• USDA Food Security Module - U.S. Household Food Security Survey
• NAM Framework - National Academy of Medicine Social Determinants of Health recommendations
• CMS Quality Measures - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services social needs measures

GiveCare Tools warmly welcomes community contributions! We welcome contributions from:

• Developers - Code, SDKs, integrations, and tools
• Healthcare Professionals - Clinical validation and use case feedback
• Researchers - Validation studies and outcome research
• Social Workers - Resource mapping and intervention strategies
• Caregivers - User experience and assessment feedback

Please open an issue or PR if you encounter bugs or other pain points during your development, or start a discussion for more open-ended questions.

Please note that the core GC-SDOH framework is intended to be a relatively lightweight set of reusable components rather than an exhaustive catalog of assessment tools. Consider sharing any specialized assessments you create with the community.

For detailed guidelines, please read our CONTRIBUTING.md for:

• Code contributions
• Documentation improvements
• Issue reporting
• Feature requests
• Community standards

• Issues - Report bugs or request features via GitHub Issues
• Discussions - Join conversations in GitHub Discussions
• Documentation - Assessment framework docs in GC-SDOH.md and implementation guides in the /docs directory
• Website - Learn more at givecareapp.com

Assessment tools dealing with health-related social needs require careful attention to privacy:

• Designed for HIPAA-compliant implementation
• No PHI stored in this repository
• Privacy-by-design principles
• Consent and disclosure guidelines included
• Security implementation guidance provided

Organizations implementing these tools are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable privacy regulations.

• Multi-language assessment versions (Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese)
• Scoring algorithm implementations (Python, JavaScript, R)
• Integration examples for popular EHR systems
• Resource database templates and schemas
• Analytics and outcome tracking tools
• Mobile-optimized assessment interface
• API specifications and reference implementations

Originally created by Ali Madad (@amadad).

If you use the GC-SDOH-30 assessment in research or clinical practice, please cite:

@misc{madad_givecare_tools_2025,
  author       = {Ali Madad},
  title        = {{GiveCare Tools}: Open-source frameworks for caregiving support and social determinants of health assessment},
  note         = {GC-SDOH-30 v2.0 • Commit [hash] • accessed [date]},
  howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/[your-org]/give-care-tools}},
  year         = {2025}
}

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Attribution Required: When using the GC-SDOH-30 assessment framework, please include:

• Credit to "GiveCare Tools" in user-facing materials
• Link to this repository in documentation
• Citation in research publications

The GC-SDOH framework builds upon decades of research in social determinants of health and caregiving. We acknowledge:

• Healthcare organizations and researchers who developed the foundational SDOH screening tools
• Caregivers and care recipients who shared their experiences
• Community organizations addressing social needs on the ground
• Contributors to this open-source project

Making caregiving more sustainable through open tools and collaborative innovation.