[Access to Early Childhood Interventions in Children̛s Hospital: Screening as Clinical Routine Procedure -...

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Social Work

Background:

• Early childhood interventions are crucial for preventing risks from insufficient family care.
• Children's hospitals are an under-explored setting for identifying families needing support.
• Parental stress can negatively impact child development and family well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a standardized risk assessment tool in a pediatric setting.
• To identify stressed parents during routine healthcare visits.
• To determine the utility of children's hospitals in connecting families to early childhood interventions.

Main Methods:

• A proof-of-concept study was conducted in a university children's hospital department.
• A standardized risk assessment tool was implemented during routine work for doctors and nurses.
• Data were collected on parental stress and referral rates to support services.

Main Results:

• The standardized screen effectively identified stressed parents, particularly those with infants under one year.
• Psychosocial stress was most frequently observed in families with newborns.
• Referral rates to early childhood interventions (8.5%) and youth welfare services (11.3%) aligned with existing literature.

Conclusions:

• Children's hospitals can serve as a vital, low-threshold entry point for early childhood interventions.
• The risk assessment tool acts as a 'call button,' initiating further specialized support for families.
• Integrating such tools into routine pediatric care can improve access to essential family support services.