Change of address as a measure of housing insecurity predicting rural emergency department revisits after asthma exacerbation

Realizing the Potential of Social Determinants Data: A Scoping Review of Approaches for Screening, Linkage, Extraction, Analysis and Interventions

Background

Social determinants of health (SDoH) like socioeconomics and neighborhoods strongly influence outcomes, yet standardized SDoH data is lacking in electronic health records (EHR), limiting research and care quality.

Methods

We searched PubMed using keywords "SDOH" and "EHR", underwent title/abstract and full-text screening. Included records were analyzed under five domains: 1) SDoH screening and assessment approaches, 2) SDoH data collection and documentation, 3) Use of natural language processing (NLP) for extracting SDoH, 4) SDoH data and health outcomes, and 5) SDoH-driven interventions.

Results

We identified 685 articles, of which 324 underwent full review. Key findings include tailored screening instruments implemented across settings, census and claims data linkage providing contextual SDoH profiles, rule-based and neural network systems extracting SDoH from notes using NLP, connections found between SDoH data and healthcare utilization/chronic disease control, and integrated care management programs executed. However, considerable variability persists across data sources, tools, and outcomes.

Discussion

Despite progress identifying patient social needs, further development of standards, predictive models, and coordinated interventions is critical to fulfill the potential of SDoH-EHR integration. Additional database searches could strengthen this scoping review. Ultimately widespread capture, analysis, and translation of multidimensional SDoH data into clinical care is essential for promoting health equity.

Social risk factors for pediatric asthma exacerbations: A systematic review

Objective

This systematic review aims to identify social risk factors that influence pediatric asthma exacerbations.

Methods

Cohort studies published between 2010 and 2020 were systematically searched on the OVID Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo databases. Using our established phased inclusion and exclusion criteria, studies that did not address a pediatric population, social risk factors, and asthma exacerbations were excluded. Out of a total of 707 initially retrieved articles, 3 prospective cohort and 6 retrospective cohort studies were included.

Results

Upon analysis of our retrieved studies, two overarching domains of social determinants, as defined by Healthy People 2030, were identified as major risk factors for pediatric asthma exacerbations: Social/Community Context and Neighborhood/Built Environment. Social/Community factors including African American race and inadequate caregiver perceptions were associated with increased risk for asthma exacerbations. Patients in high-risk neighborhoods, defined by lower levels of education, housing, and employment, had higher rates of emergency department readmissions and extended duration of stay. Additionally, a synergistic interaction between the two domains was found such that patients with public or no health insurance and residence in high-risk neighborhoods were associated with excess hospital utilization attributable to pediatric asthma exacerbations.

Conclusion

Social risk factors play a significant role in influencing the frequency and severity of pediatric asthma exacerbations.

Factors associated with future hospitalization among children with asthma: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Asthma is a leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations in children, though many could be prevented. Our study objective was to identify factors from the published literature that are associated with future hospitalization for asthma beyond 30 days following an initial asthma ED visit.

DATA SOURCES

We searched CINAHL, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and Embase for all studies examining factors associated with asthma-related hospitalization in children from January 1, 1992 to February 7, 2022.Selecting Studies: All citations were reviewed independently by two reviewers and studies meeting inclusion criteria were assessed for risk of bias. Data on all reported variables were extracted from full text and categorized according to identified themes. Where possible, data were pooled for meta-analysis using random effects models.

RESULTS

Of 2262 studies, 68 met inclusion criteria. We identified 28 risk factors and categorized these into six themes. Factors independently associated with future hospitalization in meta-analysis include: exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (OR = 1.94 95%CI 0.67-5.61), pets exposure (OR = 1.67 95%CI 1.17-2.37), and previous asthma hospitalizations (OR = 3.47 95% CI 2.95-4.07). Additional related factors included previous acute care visits, comorbid health conditions (including atopy), allergen exposure, severe-persistent asthma phenotype, inhaled steroid use prior to ED visit, poor asthma control, higher severity symptoms at ED presentation, warmer season at admission, longer length of stay or ICU admission, and African-American race/ethnicity.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified multiple factors that are consistently associated with future asthma hospitalization in children and could be used to identify those who would benefit from targeted preventative interventions.