Health-Related Social Risks Versus Needs in a Pediatric Emergency Department

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Social Determinants of Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Health-related social problems encompass social risks (e.g., food insecurity) and social needs (e.g., desire for program referral).
• Patient identification of social risks via screening tools may not align with their expressed desire for assistance.
• Understanding this discrepancy is crucial for effective social care interventions in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and compare patients with social risks versus social needs in a pediatric emergency department.
• To analyze the correlation between screened social risks and self-identified social needs among patients.
• To inform the development of targeted social care strategies in pediatric healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of a prospective intervention study conducted in an urban tertiary pediatric emergency department.
• Participants completed a social risk screening tool and self-identified social needs by selecting desired services.
• Comparison of social risk screening results with selected social needs, analyzing demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Main Results:

• 42.2% of participants screened positive for at least one social risk, while 38.0% self-identified a social need.
• Only 59.2% of those screened positive for a risk also self-selected a need.
• Significant demographic and socioeconomic differences were observed between patients with social risks who were interested versus not interested in assistance.

Conclusions:

• Both social risks and self-identified social needs are important considerations in pediatric healthcare.
• Social care interventions should be designed to address both identified risks and expressed needs.
• Integrating screening and needs assessment is vital for comprehensive patient care.