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van de Kamp E, Ma J, Monangi N, Tsui FR, Jani SG, Kim JH, Kahn RS, Wang CJ. Addressing Health-Related Social Needs and Mental Health Needs in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Exploring Challenges and the Potential of Technology. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:7161. [PMID: 38131713 PMCID: PMC10742453 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20247161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Unaddressed health-related social needs (HRSNs) and parental mental health needs in an infant's environment can negatively affect their health outcomes. This study examines the challenges and potential technological solutions for addressing these needs in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting and beyond. In all, 22 semistructured interviews were conducted with members of the NICU care team and other relevant stakeholders, based on an interpretive description approach. The participants were selected from three safety net hospitals in the U.S. with level IV NICUs. The challenges identified include navigating the multitude of burdens families in the NICU experience, resource constraints within and beyond the health system, a lack of streamlined or consistent processes, no closed-loop referrals to track status and outcomes, and gaps in support postdischarge. Opportunities for leveraging technology to facilitate screening and referral include automating screening, initiating risk-based referrals, using remote check-ins, facilitating resource navigation, tracking referrals, and providing language support. However, technological implementations should avoid perpetuating disparities and consider potential privacy or data-sharing concerns. Although advances in technological health tools alone cannot address all the challenges, they have the potential to offer dynamic tools to support the healthcare setting in identifying and addressing the unique needs and circumstances of each family in the NICU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline van de Kamp
- Athena Institute, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Jasmin Ma
- Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (J.M.); (S.G.J.)
| | - Nagendra Monangi
- Division of Neonatology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; (N.M.); (J.H.K.)
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
| | - Fuchiang Rich Tsui
- Tsui Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA;
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shilpa G. Jani
- Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (J.M.); (S.G.J.)
| | - Jae H. Kim
- Division of Neonatology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; (N.M.); (J.H.K.)
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
| | - Robert S. Kahn
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA;
- Michael Fisher Child Health Equity Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - C. Jason Wang
- Center for Policy, Outcomes, and Prevention, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; (J.M.); (S.G.J.)
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Health Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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