WIP 100 - A pathway toward clinical workflow integration of a cell phone-based social needs assessment tool and social work intervention protocol: emergency department and mobile clinic implementation sites

Poster Number: WIP 100
Publication Number: WIP 100.956

Background: Pediatric social determinants of health (SDOH) interventions are widespread yet lack a systemic population health approach. Healthcare organizations must address implementation-related challenges to reliably integrate social care into medical care.

Objective: To design a sustainable, effective, and culturally-grounded organization-wide SDOH screening and intervention protocol with input from diverse healthcare professionals, patient families, and community members.

Design/Methods: Nine stakeholders in medical and social work (SW) directorship roles in outpatient, inpatient, and emergency department (ED) settings participated in interviews on current SDOH practices during the program evaluation phase. Systemic pitfalls identified were 1) disparate and inconsistent SDOH screening mechanisms; 2) underutilization of SDOH data; and 3) duplicative, siloed interventions. We interviewed two SDOH experts from outside institutions and reviewed family SDOH needs assessment data with our SW department. A key recommendation was universal application of an electronic health record (EHR)-integrated user-friendly screening mechanism with urgent intervention for those at high risk.
Subsequently, we developed a social needs assessment screening tool accessed via personal cell phone beginning with implementation in the ED and mobile clinic, then scaled organizationally. An automated process notifies SW of urgent needs, with a protocol to contact family within three days and follow up within three weeks.
This cross-sectional study received IRB approval on October 20, 2023 under expedited review. Data collection will last four months with minimal anticipated impact on clinical workflow. We will track and present quantitative data on social need type/frequency, patient family user satisfaction data, and association with health outcome markers, along with qualitative data from interviews with SW on workflow. Simultaneously, we are building a network to leverage community perspectives of SDOH interventions while phasing in a mobile app for secure SDOH data storage and integration into the EHR.