Hemen Muleta, Samantha Levano, Jessica Haughton, Renee Whiskey-LaLanne, Miya Lemberg, Tara Buckenmyer, Patricia A Hametz, Michael L Rinke, Shivani Agarwal, Kevin P Fiori
{"title":"Addressing Health-Related Social Needs in Hospitalized Children: An Implementation Assessment.","authors":"Hemen Muleta, Samantha Levano, Jessica Haughton, Renee Whiskey-LaLanne, Miya Lemberg, Tara Buckenmyer, Patricia A Hametz, Michael L Rinke, Shivani Agarwal, Kevin P Fiori","doi":"10.1016/j.acap.2025.103150","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>High rates of unmet health-related social needs (HRSNs) have been reported among hospitalized children. Community health workers (CHWs) embedded within health systems can assist families with unmet HRSNs. This study evaluated an inpatient HRSNs screening, referral, and CHW resource navigation intervention in a hospital in Bronx County, New York.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective study of hospitalized families between December 2023 and November 2024. Patients were screened for HRSNs upon admission and referred to CHWs after self-reporting unmet HRSNs and confirming they wanted help. We evaluated the intervention using descriptive statistics and Periodic Reflections (PR) analysis following the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) implementation framework.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 5,350 admitted patients, 3,291 (61.6%) were screened for HRSNs with 986 (30.0%) screened patients reporting unmet HRSNs. Of the admitted patients, 670 (12.5%) were referred to CHWs and 491 (73.3% of those referred) accepted CHW navigation. Of the CHW navigated patients, 484 (98.6%) were either connected or equipped to connect to social services. Of patients connected to services, 183 (96.8%) self-reported that their HRSNs were improved or resolved. The estimated annual cost of the intervention was $180.63 (IQR $154.58-$180.63) per patient connected with CHWs. PR analysis identified facilitators and barriers to adoption.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Most hospitalized families were screened and those with unmet HRSNs were appropriately referred to CHWs. CHWs were successful in helping families connect to social services, leading to improved or resolved HRSNs. Future research should evaluate the impact of CHW support for unmet HRSNs on child health and healthcare utilization.</p>","PeriodicalId":50930,"journal":{"name":"Academic Pediatrics","volume":" ","pages":"103150"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12487842/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Academic Pediatrics","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2025.103150","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PEDIATRICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: High rates of unmet health-related social needs (HRSNs) have been reported among hospitalized children. Community health workers (CHWs) embedded within health systems can assist families with unmet HRSNs. This study evaluated an inpatient HRSNs screening, referral, and CHW resource navigation intervention in a hospital in Bronx County, New York.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of hospitalized families between December 2023 and November 2024. Patients were screened for HRSNs upon admission and referred to CHWs after self-reporting unmet HRSNs and confirming they wanted help. We evaluated the intervention using descriptive statistics and Periodic Reflections (PR) analysis following the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) implementation framework.
Results: Of 5,350 admitted patients, 3,291 (61.6%) were screened for HRSNs with 986 (30.0%) screened patients reporting unmet HRSNs. Of the admitted patients, 670 (12.5%) were referred to CHWs and 491 (73.3% of those referred) accepted CHW navigation. Of the CHW navigated patients, 484 (98.6%) were either connected or equipped to connect to social services. Of patients connected to services, 183 (96.8%) self-reported that their HRSNs were improved or resolved. The estimated annual cost of the intervention was $180.63 (IQR $154.58-$180.63) per patient connected with CHWs. PR analysis identified facilitators and barriers to adoption.
Conclusion: Most hospitalized families were screened and those with unmet HRSNs were appropriately referred to CHWs. CHWs were successful in helping families connect to social services, leading to improved or resolved HRSNs. Future research should evaluate the impact of CHW support for unmet HRSNs on child health and healthcare utilization.
期刊介绍:
Academic Pediatrics, the official journal of the Academic Pediatric Association, is a peer-reviewed publication whose purpose is to strengthen the research and educational base of academic general pediatrics. The journal provides leadership in pediatric education, research, patient care and advocacy. Content areas include pediatric education, emergency medicine, injury, abuse, behavioral pediatrics, holistic medicine, child health services and health policy,and the environment. The journal provides an active forum for the presentation of pediatric educational research in diverse settings, involving medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing professionals. The journal also emphasizes important research relating to the quality of child health care, health care policy, and the organization of child health services. It also includes systematic reviews of primary care interventions and important methodologic papers to aid research in child health and education.