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Published on: June 6, 2020
Families' Perspectives on Social Services Navigation After Pediatric Urgent Care
Alison Aronstam1, Denisse Velazquez2, Holly Wing2
1From the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (AA), Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles (DEV), Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network, Center for Health and Community, University of California, San Francisco (HW), Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (DH), Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, University of California, Davis (VFK), School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley (KSG); University of California, Berkeley-University of California, San Francisco, Joint Medical Program (KSG), Department of Family and Community Medicine and Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network, Center for Health and Community, University of California, San Francisco (LMG). alison.aronstam@ucsf.edu.
Background:
Interest is growing in clinic-based programs that screen for and intervene on patients' social risk factors, including housing, food, and transportation. Though several studies suggest these programs can positively impact health, few examine the mechanisms underlying these effects. This study explores pathways through which identifying and intervening on social risks can impact families' health.
Methods:
This qualitative study was embedded in a randomized clinical trial that examined the health impacts of participation in a social services navigation program. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 English or Spanish-speaking caregivers of pediatric patients who had participated in the navigation program. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
Caregivers described 3 pathways through which the navigation program affected overall child and/or caregiver health: 1) increasing families' knowledge of and access to social services; 2) helping families connect with health care services; and 3) providing emotional support that reduced caregiver isolation and anxiety. Participants suggested that navigation programs can influence health even when they do not directly impact resource access.
Discussion:
Social care programs may impact health through multiple potential pathways. Program impacts seem to be mediated by the extent to which programs increase knowledge of and access to social and health care services and support positive relationships between families and program personnel.
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