Linking Families to Resources: Assessing Social Determinants of Health in Pediatric Primary Care
Background/Rationale: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends universal surveillance of social determinants of health in primary care. Addressing these determinants is likely crucial to reducing extant health disparities. Such screening in urban pediatric primary care has been shown to increase access to relevant resources for families when combined with provider training in using a community resource binder (Garg et al., 2007). However, resources in more rural areas are often scarce and helping families navigate a complex resource system often requires a more individualized approach. Additionally, in an increasingly screener heavy pediatric environment, social determinant screeners that are comprehensive but brief are needed to reduce the burden on both patients and providers.
Methods/Results: A brief TEAM Care social determinants screener protocol was developed to meet the needs of families presenting to ETSU Pediatrics. Our clinic serves primarily low income families, many of which live in ruralareas. During the first eight months of data collection, 2043 TEAM Care screeners were administered at annual well child checks. The prevalence of caregiver endorsed concerns was as follows: financial concerns impacting ability to pay for food, housing, or utilities (7%), transportation problems (4%), caregiver depression (4%), concerns about caregiver drug/alcohol use (2%), domestic violence (1%), and literacy problems (1%). 13.4% of caregivers endorsed at least one concern on the screener. Caregivers who endorsed a concern were provided individualized resources via a warm handoff or phone call by integrated social work interns. Interns were available on an ongoing basis to check in with families, adjust resource recommendations as needed, and coordinate care with the child’s primary care physician. Our poster will report on an anticipated 3000 TEAM Care screeners collected during the first year of administration.
Conclusion: Last year at CFHA, we reported the initiation of the TEAM Care Screener, modeled after the WE CARE Screener (Garg et al., 2007) and designed to screen for social determinants of health in pediatric primary care via six items. Previous preliminary reports of this study included data from approximately 1000 screeners. A one year report of the TEAM Care screener will be completed in September 2017, making it ideal timing to present at CFHA in October 2017. We anticipate reporting prevalence data from 3000 screeners and incorporating results from a provider satisfaction survey of the screener process. The TEAM Care screener process was designed to maximize efficiency for families and providers, and the addition of social work interns ensures that families who endorse needs receive individualized help. A future goal is to more systematically follow up with families to determine how many were connected to recommended resources.