As understanding deepened of the direct link between children’s lack of access to essentials – from healthy food to safe, stable housing – and socioemotional challenges, developmental delays and early morbidity, the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2013 recommended that pediatricians intensify their focus on social needs interventions.
Many screening and resource connection interventions have emerged since this recommendation, however, assessments to date have typically focused on measuring the impact of individual interventions. Research by Laura Gottlieb, Danielle Hessler, Dayna Long and colleagues research compared two approaches and showed that active patient navigation can significantly improve results of existing initiatives focused on screening and resource connection. Among their key findings:
- Screening and resource connections reduce families’ social needs
- Reducing social needs improves child health
- In-person patient navigation is more effective than resource printouts
Read more about the case for in-person patient navigation our one-page summary below – then dive into the full research from Gottlieb, et al.