197 - Addressing Diaper Needs in Primary Care Pediatrics with Community Partnership

Poster Number: 197
Publication Number: 197.1276

Background: 1 in 3 families face diaper need, which negatively impacts children’s health and family well-being and disproportionately affects minority and low-income families. Many families depend on non-profit community diaper banks, which are often volunteer-based with limited hours and visibility to reach families. To address this issue the University at Buffalo pediatric residents forged a partnership with Every Bottom Covered (EBC), the sole diaper bank in Western New York, to establish an on-site diaper bank and improved referral system to EBC at both academic general pediatric clinics.

Objective: Of the patients screening positive for diaper need:
1. Increase the percent of successful community diaper bank referrals.
2. Decrease the percent of families that have persistent diaper need.

Design/Methods: The intervention included three components: (1) screen for diaper need at clinic; (2) provide 30 diapers to those who screen positive; and (3) refer to EBC for monthly diapers. This new initiative was evaluated with quality improvement methodology. Caretakers with diaper need who participated in the intervention were contacted via phone for a 4-question voluntary survey. Survey responses were monitored quarterly to ascertain whether families (1) received information about EBC, (2) received diapers from EBC, (3) continue to have diaper need, and (4) continue to seek referral support. Using survey responses from January 2022 to March 2023, the study team assessed barriers to diaper distribution and completed two PDSA cycles.

Results: 201 patients participated in this primary care-based diaper bank intervention, of which 117 caretakers (58%) completed follow-up phone surveys. Of those surveyed, the percent of caretakers who received diapers from EBC increased by 170% over the course of 15 months. The number of caretakers who “never have enough diapers for their child” steadily decreased from 36.4% to 0% in the last quarter (see Figure 1).

Conclusion(s): Our data shows that this clinic-based diaper initiative increases successful referrals to community diaper banks. However, 71% of all surveyed caregivers still express ongoing diaper need, highlighting the persistence of this health inequity. This emphasizes the necessity of continually adapting community-based care models to address the diverse social needs of patient families.