HealthyLink-Integrating Food Is Medicine (FIM) Into Inpatient Discharge Process.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Nutrition Interventions

Background:

• Hospitalized food-insecure patients experience a critical 72-hour gap in food support after discharge, negatively impacting recovery.
• The HealthyLink initiative was developed to design and pilot-test a contextually relevant model addressing the needs of these vulnerable patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and pilot-test the HealthyLink model, a contextually attuned intervention for hospitalized food-insecure patients.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the HealthyLink model in improving patient health outcomes, satisfaction, and reducing cost-related medication underuse.

Main Methods:

• Leveraged a partnership between a research-healthcare system and a regional grocery chain.
• Employed a 3-phase approach: co-design with patients and stakeholders, implementation using the Plan-Do-Study-Act method, and evaluation via post-delivery surveys and cost tracking.
• Assessed patient needs through participatory processes and gathered feedback on satisfaction, health improvements, and program costs.

Main Results:

• Established a strategic partnership fostering seamless integration into hospital social worker referral systems for patient identification and enrollment.
• Successfully delivered heart-healthy food packages to 90 patients over 6 months, achieving high satisfaction rates (86.4%-98.3%) and healing assistance ratings (88.1%-98.3%).
• Observed significant improvements in self-reported physical and mental health, with a notable decrease in individuals reporting fair or poor health (69.5% to 42.2% and 47.5% to 25.4%).

Conclusions:

• Co-design principles are crucial for identifying unforeseen barriers in Food is Medicine programs.
• Home delivery effectively reaches underserved populations but necessitates careful cost analysis for scalability and long-term sustainability.