New approach to equitable social care connects pediatric caregivers to resources without screening

Health care providers can more effectively connect parents and other caregivers of children to needed social resources when they present a menu of options rather than using standard screening tools, a recent study found. The research will be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2024 Meeting, held May 2–6 in Toronto.

According to researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, health care providers typically use risk-based screening to identify families facing food and housing insecurity, financial strain, and unsafe environments.

Experts say this approach can lead to inequalities in resource distribution and usage by requiring families to disclose hardships—often in front of their children—in order to receive assistance. Researchers found that allowing family members to select desired resources from a menu of options increased the interest in and use of social support.

Researchers randomly provided nearly 4,000 caregivers with either a traditional social risk screening tool, a resource menu, or no assessment. Participants using the resource menu were 9.4% more likely to request resources than those using the screening tool, the study found.

The beneficial effect of the resource menu was even more pronounced among families who prefer a non-English language. More than 40% of the participants used an online resource map to access resources, while 33.4% reported sharing it.

"Children and families with social need should receive resources that reflect their priorities, not based on whether they meet the threshold of a screening tool," said Danielle Cullen, MD, MPH, MSHP, assistant professor at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and presenting author.

"Using a 'resource menu' allows for a more family-centered approach to resource connection, equipping children and families with tailored social resources based on their priorities while reducing inequalities and feared unintended consequences that may be perpetuated by screening practices."

Study authors recommend that providers use resource menus as an alternative to social risk screening to provide a more equitable, family-centered approach.