Caregiver and Pediatric Health Care Provider Views on Social Needs Identification

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Social Determinants of Health
• Healthcare Access

Background:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for pediatricians to address social determinants of health (SDOH).
• This involves research, community partnerships, and policy development to improve child health outcomes.
• Understanding and addressing SDOH is crucial for comprehensive pediatric care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify unmet social determinants of health (SDOH) for patients at the Pasadena-Pediatric and Adolescent Health Center (PA-PAHC).
• To understand healthcare provider perspectives on screening for SDOH within a low-income pediatric clinic setting.
• To compare the identified SDOH needs and screening perceptions among caregivers, residents, and staff/faculty.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 110 caregivers, 22 pediatric residents, and 21 staff/faculty at a low-income clinic in Houston.
• Surveys collected data on perceived social determinants of health (SDOH) concerns and perspectives on SDOH screening.
• Statistical analyses included frequencies, chi-square tests, and logistic regression to compare responses across groups.

Main Results:

• Healthcare access was the most frequently cited SDOH concern by caregivers (15.5%), residents (31.8%), and staff/faculty (23.8%).
• No statistically significant differences were found in the identification of SDOH concerns among the three groups (P = .257).
• Residents perceived SDOH screening as more time-consuming than did staff/faculty (P = .004).

Conclusions:

• Pediatric staff, faculty, and residents concur that SDOH significantly impact child health and that screening is valuable.
• There were no significant differences in the identified SDOH needs across caregivers, residents, and staff/faculty.
• Further research is needed to evaluate caregiver preferences for standardized SDOH screening versus routine social history taking.