Poverty screening among paediatricians in the Netherlands: an exploratory study of current practices

Children growing up in poverty are more likely to experience poorer health. Additionally, families experiencing poverty may be more likely to miss appointments or experience difficulties navigating support services. This highlights a potential role for paediatricians in identifying and addressing poverty, although their practices and perspectives are not well understood. Therefore, this study is aimed at gaining insight into current poverty screening, discussing and referral practices among paediatricians working in the Netherlands. This cross-sectional study distributed a digital survey in 2024 to assess current poverty-related practices among paediatricians in the Netherlands. The Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys was followed in reporting on the study. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise multiple-choice responses. Open-ended responses were analysed using content analysis. Fifty paediatricians completed the survey. Most (92.0%) noticed that patients' financial concerns negatively affect access to healthcare. Paediatricians reported mixed practices regarding asking patients about financial circumstances and referring to supportive resources, highlighting that it is not part of standard paediatric practice. Various barriers played a role, including a lack of clear referral options, knowledge, identification tools, and conversation tools. Nevertheless, most paediatricians (84.0%) stated that they should play a role in identifying and discussing financial concerns or poverty among their patients. Conclusion: Although paediatricians recognise the importance of poverty for child health and are motivated to address it, they lack the resources for consistent practice. Future research should focus on developing and implementing targeted support strategies to strengthen paediatricians' capacity to address poverty-related challenges in routine care.