Pediatric Inpatient Clinical Team Members Perspectives on a Program to Address Social Needs.

Objective: Health-related social needs (HRSNs) are associated with pediatric health outcomes. Programs that identify and intervene on unmet HRSNs are growing in pediatric inpatient settings. Research exploring the perspectives of inpatient clinical team members (CTMs) on programs to address unmet HRSNs is currently limited. The objective of this study was to investigate CTM perspectives on a pediatric inpatient HRSN screening, referral, and community health worker (CHW) resource navigation program in an urban tertiary-care pediatric academic hospital.

Methods: Semi-structured interview guides were developed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. One-on-one interviews were conducted with a purposeful sampling of CTMs. Transcripts were analyzed using a rapid qualitative approach to identify salient themes.

Results: Between August 19 and November 15, 2024, we conducted interviews with 14 CTMs. Analysis identified the following 4 themes: (1) social care is aligned with the goals of inpatient pediatric care; (2) CHWs are a valuable addition to a multidisciplinary inpatient team; (3) there are unique challenges of the inpatient setting, and electronic health record (EHR) integration has the potential to address these challenges; and (4) there is a need for better communication regarding outcomes across all aspects of the intervention to maintain CTM motivation.

Conclusions: Inpatient pediatric CTMs view HRSNs programs as an extension of patient care. CTMs value the role of CHWs as part of the multidisciplinary team to support hospitalized families. Addressing unique inpatient challenges, optimizing EHR integration, and clear communication regarding programmatic impact on families may facilitate program adoption.