Background <p>Food insecurity is common among children with kidney disease and may worsen health outcomes. Implementation of screening in pediatric subspecialty clinics has not been well described. </p> Methods <p>Universal in-person screening was developed, implemented, and evaluated at one of the two primary pediatric nephrology clinics within an academic children's hospital&#xa0;in&#xa0;California and compared with a control clinic over a 16-month study period. At the intervention clinic, medical assistants and licensed vocational nurses screened all in-person visits using a two-question tool. The second clinic served as the control and continued usual care, in which selected patients were screened during multidisciplinary visits by a renal nurse, dietitian, or social worker. An interrupted time series analysis assessed changes in screening rates over time, and a difference-in-differences analysis compared trends between the intervention and control clinics. Implementation outcomes were evaluated using the RE-AIM framework.</p> Results <p>After implementation, screening rates in Clinic A (intervention clinic) increased immediately by 33%, followed by a modest but sustained upward trend of 1.0 percentage point per month. Screening completion was maintained, indicating successful integration into the clinic workflow. Staff initially reported discomfort performing screening due to uncertainty about how to respond to positive results; this improved after workflow refinements, including the introduction of a standardized script and the assignment of a nephrology-specific licensed vocational nurse to support follow-up. Caregivers reported high comfort with the screening process.</p> Conclusions <p>Food insecurity screening was feasible and acceptable in a pediatric nephrology clinic, with clear workflows and defined roles supporting sustainability.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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Implementation and evaluation of a quality improvement project to standardize food insecurity screening in a pediatric nephrology clinic

  • Eva M Glenn Lecea,
  • Erica Winnicki,
  • Aris Oates,
  • Deborah Franzon,
  • Jennifer Evans,
  • Laura Plantinga,
  • Delphine S. Tuot

摘要

Background

Food insecurity is common among children with kidney disease and may worsen health outcomes. Implementation of screening in pediatric subspecialty clinics has not been well described.

Methods

Universal in-person screening was developed, implemented, and evaluated at one of the two primary pediatric nephrology clinics within an academic children's hospital in California and compared with a control clinic over a 16-month study period. At the intervention clinic, medical assistants and licensed vocational nurses screened all in-person visits using a two-question tool. The second clinic served as the control and continued usual care, in which selected patients were screened during multidisciplinary visits by a renal nurse, dietitian, or social worker. An interrupted time series analysis assessed changes in screening rates over time, and a difference-in-differences analysis compared trends between the intervention and control clinics. Implementation outcomes were evaluated using the RE-AIM framework.

Results

After implementation, screening rates in Clinic A (intervention clinic) increased immediately by 33%, followed by a modest but sustained upward trend of 1.0 percentage point per month. Screening completion was maintained, indicating successful integration into the clinic workflow. Staff initially reported discomfort performing screening due to uncertainty about how to respond to positive results; this improved after workflow refinements, including the introduction of a standardized script and the assignment of a nephrology-specific licensed vocational nurse to support follow-up. Caregivers reported high comfort with the screening process.

Conclusions

Food insecurity screening was feasible and acceptable in a pediatric nephrology clinic, with clear workflows and defined roles supporting sustainability.

Graphical abstract