SPARK Tool Materials and Resources
If you have accessed this page without your clinic/organization first completing the Reach and Adoption Survey, please first complete it here. We would greatly appreciate it so we can better understand the reach and adoption of the SPARK Tool across Canada.
This page contains materials and resources to help you use the SPARK Tool for demographic and social needs data collection in your clinic or organization. The SPARK Tool and a majority of these resources were developed by SPARK Study Team members across Canada, patient partners, and Upstream Lab at St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto.
These resources are licensed for non-commercial use and adaptation via CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
If you have any questions about any of the resources or require modifiable versions of documents, please contact upstreamlab@unityhealth.to.
At this time, materials and resources are only available in English. The SPARK Tool is available in English and French.
We recommend first downloading our Change Package to learn about the steps and different approaches to implementing social data collection.
Page last updated: February 21, 2025 10 AM EST
Access resources help your clinic or organization implement the SPARK Tool.
Access the list of questions in the SPARK Tool, definitions, and ready-to-use surveys for online platforms.
Access posters and patient brochures, available as PDFs and modifiable templates on Canva.
Access resources to help your clinic or organization evaluate implementation of the SPARK Tool.
Access sample FAQs, clinical workflows, staff scripts, orientation presentations, and training videos.
Access materials and resources specific to the Health Equity Questionnaire 2.0, a modified version of the SPARK Tool that was created by the St. Michael’s Hospital Family Health Team in Toronto, ON.
Implementation Resources
Access resources to help your clinic or organization implement the SPARK Tool.
Change Package
A comprehensive guide to implementing the SPARK Tool at primary care clinics, including sections on workflow and EMR integration, assessing readiness, training, data collection, use, and analysis, and community engagement and data governance.
Resource Lists
Local resource lists for social services (e.g., income support, food security, medication, housing, transportation, employment etc.) created by SPARK Study Team members.
Access the list of questions in the SPARK Tool, definitions, and ready-to-use surveys for online platforms.
SPARK Tool
SPARK Tool - Document
Full list of SPARK Tool questions, instructions for branching logic, and descriptors to provide definitions and/or info for why a question is being asked.
Available in English and French.
SPARK Tool - Graphic
A poster with all SPARK Tool questions.
Available in English and French.
Citing and Using the SPARK Tool
A 1-page guide to citing and using the SPARK Tool.
Definitions of Key Terms
Definitions of socio-demographic and social needs terminology included in the SPARK Tool.
SPARK Tool Descriptors
Responses to “Why are we asking this question?” for each question. Includes descriptor-specific links (bookmarks) for patients to learn more about each question when completing the SPARK Tool.
Note: We suggest making a copy (File → Make a copy). If you choose to download the doc as a PDF or Word Document, the bookmarks will be removed.
SPARK Tool - Qualtrics File
The SPARK Tool as a ready-to-use file for Qualtrics.
SPARK Tool - REDCap File
The SPARK Tool as a ready-to-use file for REDCap.
SPARK Tool - OceanMD File
The SPARK Tool as a ready-to-use file for OceanMD.
To access the tool, login into your Ocean site, go to “Menu” → “eForms” → “More” next to the search bar → “View Shared Forms” → search “SPARK Tool 2024 (Generic)”. You will see the form show up as “SPARK Tool 2024 (Generic) (site 9390) Upstream Lab, Unity Health Toronto”. You will then be able to preview and import the tool for your own use.
SPARK Tool Encounter Note Highlights and Rationale
Depending on your EMR integration system, responses from the SPARK Tool can be displayed in a patient’s EMR and are visible to their health care providers in the form of an Encounter Note. This document suggests highlights and corresponding hidden messages for social needs that are urgent or have potentially significant consequences for health and access to care.
Access posters and patient brochures, available as PDFs and modifiable templates on Canva.
Communications Materials
SPARK Poster
SPARK Patient Brochure - 1-pager
SPARK Patient Brochure - 2-pager
Training Resources
Access sample FAQs, clinical workflows, staff scripts, orientation presentations, and training videos.
Sample Scripts for Clerical Staff
Suggested responses to common patient questions regarding the SPARK Tool’s purpose, questions, and use.
Workflow for Clerical Staff
Poster outlining the clinical workflow for administering the SPARK Tool and how patient responses may be used.
Three Key Messages
Poster with three key messages for introducing the SPARK Tool to patients.
Intro to Social Screening Training
Lecture slides on the purpose of collecting demographic and social needs data, data collection tools (including SPARK), and resources for administering and using data.
SPARK Intro - Orientation Presentation
Lecture slides on survey administration logistics, workflow, potential challenges, and patient questions. This presentation was created for clinic staff who will be helping with survey administration.
SPARK Online Training
An online training module on how to administer the SPARK Tool with patients and how clinics/organizations may use patient responses to inform change. This training was designed for clinicians and clinic administrators who will be helping with survey administration and using patient responses.
Research Resources
The SPARK Implementation Study began in 2022 and evaluated the implementation of the SPARK Tool in five clinics in five different provinces. Many clinics or primary health care teams in certain regions may be interested in conducting their own evaluations, with which the following resources may help.
Readiness Assessment
Checklist to help assess site readiness with regards to leadership, training, communications, SPARK Tool, and EMR integration.
Technical Feasibility Assessment
Document to help assess site capacity with regards to EMR integration, data collection infrastructure, data extraction and analysis, and communication.
Patient Consent and Feedback
Brief 3-minute questionnaire asking patients to share their experience with completing the SPARK Tool.
Mid-Implementation Survey
Questionnaire asking clerical staff, health care providers, operations staff, and leadership about the SPARK Tool’s contents, their experience administering the survey, and how they may have used patient responses.
Monthly Summaries Metrics
Suggested metrics for summarizing implementation on a regular basis, including response rates, types of social needs reported, and user feedback.
Health Equity Questionnaire 2.0 (Ontario)-Specific Resources
The Health Equity Questionnaire (HEQ) 2.0 is a modified version of the SPARK Tool that was created by the St. Michael’s Hospital Family Health Team in Toronto, ON. While these tools were developed specifically for this clinical team, they may be useful for other practices in Ontario.
Health Equity Questionnaire 2.0
Full list of questions in the HEQ 2.0, instructions for branching/skip logic, and descriptors to provide definitions and/or additional information for why a question is being asked. Questions/responses unique to the HEQ 2.0 are in red (includes questions used at the St. Michael’s Hospital Family Health Team).
Sample FAQ
FAQ developed for St. Michael’s Hospital Family Health Team that you may adapt for your clinical context, depending on how you choose to implement the SPARK Tool/HEQ 2.0.
SPARK HEQ 2.0 - Video 1
4.5 minute video on the purpose and questions of the HEQ 2.0, and covers common questions from patients. This video can also be used to give an overview of demographic and social needs data collection in general, or serve as inspiration to create videos at your own clinic.
SPARK HEQ 2.0 - Video 2
4.5 minute video on the definition of health equity and social determinants of health, and benefits of completing the HEQ 2.0 for patients and organizations. This video can also be used to give an overview of health equity and demographic and social needs data collection in general, or serve as inspiration to create videos at your own clinic.