Self-reported unmet social needs among individuals with a history of kidney stones are not well described. We evaluated the association between unmet social needs, kidney stone former status, and stone-related quality of life in a community-based US sample.
This cross-sectional study recruited US adults electronically to complete a survey on kidney stone history and a validated social needs screening tool. Multivariable logistic regression assessed associations between stone former status and social need domains, adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. Among stone formers, the relationship between number and type of unmet need vs disease-specific quality of life (Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life Questionnaire) was analyzed.
A total of 1813 respondents were included, of whom 778 (43%) reported a history of kidney stones. Respondents were predominantly female (71%), White (80%), and aged 25 to 64 years (74%). Stone formers commonly reported unmet social needs (range: 29-43%), with utilities insecurity, barriers to transportation, and dependent care insecurity being independent associations of stone-former status. Among stone formers, each additional unmet social need was associated with a lower WISQOL score (P < .001).
Kidney stone formers self-reported higher rates of unmet social needs compared with nonstone formers, and a greater number of unmet needs was associated with worse stone-specific quality of life. These findings support the hypothesis that adapting unmet social needs screening tools to the point of care could identify vulnerable patients and inform counseling and management decisions. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether such screening improves stone outcomes.
The Journal of urology. 2026 May 17 [Epub ahead of print]
Michael Uy, Erik Sucher, Alan Makedon, Khurshid R Ghani, Casey A Dauw, Wilson Sui
Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.