Enhancing accurate identification of food insecurity using quality-improvement techniques

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Primary Care
• Public Health
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Infants in food-insecure households face significant health and developmental risks.
• Identification of household food insecurity is critically low in routine pediatric clinical care.
• Early identification is crucial for timely intervention and support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement quality improvement (QI) methods to increase the identification rate of household food insecurity.
• To improve the proportion of pediatric residents identifying food insecurity during well-child visits.
• To reach a target identification rate of 15.0% within six months.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary team identified key drivers for food insecurity screening.
• Interventions included an electronic screening tool, educational sessions, and clinician/family empowerment.
• A six-month pilot was conducted at a hospital-based primary care site serving underserved populations.

Main Results:

• The household food insecurity identification rate increased from 1.9% to 11.2% (P < .01).
• The proportion of residents identifying food insecurity rose from 37.5% to 91.9% (P < .01).
• The study demonstrated a significant improvement in screening and identification.

Conclusions:

• QI methods effectively enhanced the screening and identification of household food insecurity in primary care.
• The interventions successfully increased both the rate of identification and clinician engagement.
• This approach positively impacts the care of vulnerable pediatric populations.