Cohen Rachel Silliman, Moore Jessica L, Barron Christine E
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Department of Pediatrics; Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr., Child Protection Center, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, RI.
Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr., Child Protection Center, Hasbro Children's Hospital, Providence, RI.
R I Med J (2013). 2018 Sep 4;101(7):31-34.
Food insecurity affects both children and adults in 8% of households in the United States and 12.8% of households in Rhode Island, negatively impacting childhood health and development. Children with a history of child abuse or neglect are at higher risk for food insecurity than other pediatric populations. Patients evaluated at a child protection clinic - which completes evaluations for all forms of suspected child maltreatment - were screened for food insecurity using a validated two-item questionnaire. Data were collected over a four-month period, with three quality improvement cycles. A quality improvement cycle is a planned sequence of systematic and documented activities aimed at improving a process. Prior to the implementation of this protocol, children in the clinic were not screened for food insecurity. With the initiation of food insecurity screening, 8% of all households eligible for screening were found to be food insecure. Pediatric providers should identify food insecurity in their patients, including in subspecialty care clinics, to optimize care for pediatric patients and their families. When food insecurity is identified, referral to resources and support services is important.
在美国，8%的家庭以及罗德岛12.8%的家庭中，儿童和成人都面临粮食不安全问题，这对儿童健康和发育产生了负面影响。有过受虐待或被忽视经历的儿童比其他儿科人群面临粮食不安全的风险更高。在一家儿童保护诊所接受评估的患者——该诊所对各种疑似儿童虐待形式进行评估——使用经过验证的两项问卷对粮食不安全情况进行筛查。数据收集历时四个月，共进行了三个质量改进周期。质量改进周期是一系列有计划的、系统的且有记录的活动，旨在改进某个流程。在实施该方案之前，诊所的儿童未接受粮食不安全情况筛查。随着粮食不安全筛查的启动，发现所有符合筛查条件的家庭中有8%存在粮食不安全问题。儿科医疗服务提供者应识别患者中的粮食不安全情况，包括在专科护理诊所，以便为儿科患者及其家庭优化护理。当识别出粮食不安全情况时，转介至相关资源和支持服务机构很重要。
