Addressing Health-Related Social Needs in Hospitalized Children: An Implementation Assessment.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Community Health

Background:

• Hospitalized children frequently experience unmet health-related social needs (HRSNs).
• Community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly integrated into healthcare systems to address these needs.
• Effective interventions are needed to connect families with essential social services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an inpatient screening, referral, and CHW resource navigation program for families with unmet HRSNs.
• To assess the effectiveness and implementation of CHW support within a hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study analyzed data from hospitalized families between December 2023 and November 2024.
• Patients were screened for HRSNs upon admission; those reporting unmet needs were referred to CHWs.
• The RE-AIM framework guided the evaluation using descriptive statistics and periodic reflections.

Main Results:

• Over 61% of admitted patients were screened, with 30% reporting unmet HRSNs.
• Of those referred, 73.3% accepted CHW navigation, and 98.6% were connected to social services.
• 96.8% of connected patients reported improved or resolved HRSNs, at an estimated annual cost of $180.63 per CHW-connected patient.

Conclusions:

• The inpatient HRSN screening and CHW referral program effectively connected families to needed social services.
• CHW navigation led to significant improvements in self-reported HRSNs among hospitalized families.
• Further research is recommended to explore the impact of CHW interventions on child health and healthcare utilization.