Reducing Caregiver Hunger During Pediatric Hospitalization

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Pediatric Health Services Research
• Health Equity

Background:

• Pediatric hospitalizations present significant financial and emotional burdens for families.
• Caregivers, particularly those with lower incomes, frequently experience food insecurity during their child's hospital stay.
• A high baseline of 86% of caregivers reported hunger, necessitating targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reduce the incidence of caregiver hunger during pediatric hospitalizations.
• To decrease the percentage of hungry caregivers of Medicaid-insured and uninsured children from 86% to below 24%.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement project was conducted on a 41-bed inpatient unit at an urban academic hospital.
• A multidisciplinary team utilized plan-do-study-act cycles to address food access barriers.
• Caregiver-reported hunger was the primary outcome measure, tracked over time using statistical process control charts.

Main Results:

• Caregiver hunger was significantly reduced from 86% to 15.5%.
• A temporary intervention of meal vouchers demonstrated a notable decrease in reported hunger.
• Secured hospital funding for meal cards resulted in sustained improvements in food access.

Conclusions:

• Implemented a data-driven quality improvement initiative to effectively decrease caregiver hunger.
• Established a sustainable system for improving food access for families during pediatric hospitalizations.
• Ensured caregivers could access sufficient food, alleviating a critical stressor during their child's care.