Assembling the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Social Care Toolkit: A Modified Delphi Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Social Determinants of Health
• Healthcare Training

Background:

• Pediatric emergency departments are crucial for identifying and addressing health-related social needs.
• Clear best practices for social care in pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) are lacking.
• This study aimed to establish consensus on social care practices within the PEM setting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a consensus-based social care training toolkit tailored for the pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) environment.
• To develop user-friendly resources for implementing social care in PEM.
• To provide best practice recommendations for social care programs in PEM.

Main Methods:

• A modified Delphi study was employed to achieve consensus on social care practices.
• Literature review and expert input were used to draft toolkit sections.
• Two rounds of the Delphi process, including ranking and qualitative feedback, were conducted to finalize the toolkit.

Main Results:

• Seventeen participants, including PEM faculty, trainees, social workers, and public health experts, were involved.
• Initial ranking of 42 content items led to revisions and refinement.
• The finalized toolkit, incorporating expert feedback, received unanimous approval.

Conclusions:

• A consensus-driven modified Delphi process successfully generated best practice recommendations for social care in PEM.
• The developed toolkit offers guidance on the design, implementation, and training for social care programs in this setting.
• This work addresses the need for standardized social care approaches in pediatric emergency medicine.