Association Between Health-Related Social Needs and Pediatric Hospitalization Outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Pediatric Health
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• Health-related social needs (HRSNs) are linked to adverse health outcomes and increased acute care utilization.
• The impact of HRSNs on inpatient metrics like hospital length of stay (LOS) requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between HRSNs and adverse healthcare utilization outcomes in hospitalized pediatric patients.
• Primary outcome: hospital length of stay (LOS). Secondary outcomes: PICU admission, 30-day readmission, and ED revisit.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 3645 pediatric patient encounters screened for HRSNs.
• Multivariable mixed-effects regression adjusted for sociodemographics, medical complexity, and community health worker exposure.
• Exploratory analysis of interactions between medical complexity and HRSNs on LOS.

Main Results:

• 28.8% of patients reported at least one HRSN.
• HRSNs associated with 0.45 days longer LOS and 38% higher odds of PICU admission.
• Patients with HRSNs and medical complexity had significantly longer LOS (3.13 days).

Conclusions:

• Unmet HRSNs are associated with increased hospital LOS and PICU admission likelihood in pediatric patients.
• Targeted social care interventions may benefit children with medical complexity and unmet social needs.
• Further research should assess the impact of social care interventions on hospitalization measures.