Engagement and Satisfaction With Care Navigation Support Following Telehealth Autism Evaluation

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Healthcare
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience unmet healthcare needs.
• Care navigation support aims to bridge the gap between families and essential health resources.
• Families newly diagnosed with ASD may particularly benefit from structured support services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine engagement with care navigation support following autism telehealth evaluations.
• To identify demographic and diagnostic factors influencing participation in care navigation.
• To assess family satisfaction with the care navigation service.

Main Methods:

• 220 families receiving autism telehealth evaluations between April 2020 and April 2022 were offered care navigation.
• Data collected from initial evaluations, two follow-up care navigation meetings, and medical records.
• Statistical analyses were performed to identify predictors of engagement and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• 48.2% of families engaged within 1-3 months, and 59.5% engaged at least once over two periods.
• Autism diagnosis did not predict engagement.
• Child sex (female) and race/ethnicity (children of color) were significant predictors of engagement.
• High satisfaction was reported by families who utilized care navigation.

Conclusions:

• Care navigation is a valuable service for families post-autism telehealth evaluation.
• Engagement patterns suggest specific demographic factors influence service utilization.
• High satisfaction indicates the perceived benefit of care navigation for families navigating autism.