Screening for basic social needs at a medical home for low-income children

Area of Science:

• Social Determinants of Health
• Pediatric Primary Care
• Health Equity

Background:

• Basic social needs significantly impact child health and development.
• Pediatric clinics are crucial touchpoints for identifying and addressing family challenges.
• Understanding parental and provider attitudes is key to effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of social needs among parents in an urban pediatric clinic.
• To evaluate parental willingness to seek help from pediatric providers.
• To assess pediatric resident providers' attitudes and practices regarding social needs.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 100 parents at a pediatric clinic.
• Surveys assessing social needs (employment, education, childcare, food, housing).
• Questionnaires on parental and resident provider attitudes and behaviors.

Main Results:

• Parents reported a median of 2 social needs, with employment (52%) and education (34%) being most common.
• 67% of parents were open to requesting assistance from their pediatrician.
• 91% of resident providers acknowledged the importance of social needs, but screening rates were low (11-18%).

Conclusions:

• Pediatric clinics offer a vital opportunity to support families with social needs.
• Interventions are needed to improve provider confidence and routine screening for social determinants of health.
• Enhancing provider self-efficacy can improve care for low-income families within the medical home.