Study links unmet social needs with worse stone-specific quality of life

In the following interview, Michael John Mari Talagsa Uy, MD, highlights a cross-sectional study evaluating the relationship between unmet social needs, kidney stone disease, and stone-specific quality of life.¹ Uy is an endourology fellow at University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Uy emphasized that although kidney stone management often focuses on metabolic risk factors, unmet social needs may play a substantial role in patients' ability to access care and manage their disease. To explore this question, the investigators conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1813 US adults recruited electronically. Participants completed a validated screening tool assessing unmet social needs—including domains such as housing, food insecurity, transportation, and utilities—as well as questions about kidney stone history. Stone formers also completed the Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life Questionnaire (WISQOL), allowing the investigators to examine relationships among social needs, stone disease, and disease-specific quality of life.

According to Uy, the study identified 2 major findings. First, individuals with a history of kidney stones reported substantially higher rates of unmet social needs than non-stone formers, with unmet needs reported across multiple domains. Utilities insecurity, transportation barriers, and dependent care insecurity were independently associated with stone-former status. Second, among stone formers, a greater number of unmet social needs was associated with worse stone-specific quality of life (P < .001).

According to the authors, these findings suggest that incorporating social needs screening into routine stone care could help identify vulnerable patients, guide counseling and management decisions, and ultimately improve patient-centered outcomes.

REFERENCE

1. Uy M, Sucher E, Makedon A, et al. Unmet social needs are associated with kidney stone disease and worse stone-specific quality of life. J Urol. 2026:101097JU0000000000005070. doi:10.1097/JU.0000000000005070