Caregiver acceptability of a novel social needs program in a pediatric emergency department during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a qualitative study

Abstract

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has heightened social needs of many families, with the demand for resources, such as food, housing assistance, utilities, childcare, and mental health, rising throughout the United States. These needs were recognized by the Division of Emergency Medicine and Department of Social Work at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in April 2020, resulting in the creation of “Family Connects,” a program that mobilizes a multidisciplinary workforce to meet social needs in an emergency department (ED). We aimed to understand experiences of families who engaged with and received information about the resources through the program. Methods: We conducted a qualitative, semi-structured, telephone interview study with a purposive convenience sample of adult participants who visited our ED as legal guardians of their ill or injured children from December 2020 through February 2021 and were contacted by a Family Connects representative. Participants were recruited via phone calls and asked questions regarding their perspectives of the program logistics, the telephone interaction, and the information provided about resources. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and de-identified. Transcripts were coded by 2 independent coders and analyzed for themes by 2 reviewers and the principal investigator. Results: Twenty-eight interviews were completed with 18 families who received information about resources, and 10 who did not. Four major themes arose: overall positive experience with the program, mixed preferences surrounding modes of communication and information distribution, poor timing of phone calls during ED visit, and numerous barriers to accessing resources. Participants provided suggestions for improvement, including sending a text-alert prior to receiving the phone calls and post-ED follow-ups to help families access resources. Conclusion: Families expressed an openness to being asked about social needs, though barriers including difficulty accessing resources and suboptimal phone call timing must be addressed to improve program delivery and effectiveness.