Ariana Wallace
Research Mentor: Irene Carter
Mentor Department: Pediatric Surgery Section, Medicine
Author(s): Paris Rollins, Ariana Wallace, Erin Perrone, Byron Hughes
Session: Session 6 (3:00 PM – 3:50 PM)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Abstract
Background Socioeconomic factors predict risk and clinical outcomes in pediatric trauma. Health-related social need(HRSN) screening may mitigate health inequities through proactive identification and support of modifiable risk factors. Screening occurs primarily through primary care; this pathway may inadequately capture trauma populations. In this study, we determine HRSN screening rates among pediatric patients treated for firearm injury(FI) or motor vehicle collision(MVC) at our institution. Methods We queried our institutional trauma registry for encounters between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2024. Eligibility criteria included age under 21, mechanism-specific ICD-9/ICD-10 codes, emergency or inpatient treatment, and survival to ED or hospital discharge. Our primary outcome was the presence of standardized HRSN screening results documented in the medical record. Data were collected using REDCap. Descriptive statistics were generated using statistical analysis software. Results Patients were predominantly non-Hispanic(667/770, 86.6%), White(464/770, 60.3%), and male(452/770, 58.7%), mean 11.2(5.3) years. Most presented following MVC(665/770, 86.4%). One in four patients had undergone HRSN screening(207/770, 26.9%). FI patients were less likely to undergo screening than MVC patients (OR 0.53, CI 0.31-0.92). Low screening rate was also associated with non-White race(OR 0.86, CI 0.76-0.99) and out-of-state residence(OR 0.68, CI 0.01-0.50). Discussion Social need screening is infrequently documented for pediatric trauma patients at our institution, particularly those with FI. Creation of a targeted screening initiative during the clinical trauma encounter may reduce the screening gap, thus improving access to institutional support for a high-risk population.
