Place-Based Opportunity and Well Child Visit Attendance in Early Childhood.

BACKGROUND: Lower neighborhood opportunity, measured by the Child Opportunity Index [COI], is associated with increased pediatric morbidity, but is less frequently used to examine longitudinal well child care. We aimed to evaluate associations between the COI and well child visit [WCV] attendance from birth - <36 months of age. METHODS: The Upstate KIDS population-based birth cohort includes children born 2008-2010 in New York state. The exposure, 2010 census tract COI (very low [VL] to very high [VH]), was linked to children's geocoded residential address at birth. The outcome was attended WCVs from birth - <36 months of age. Parents reported WCVs and their child's corresponding age on questionnaires every 4-6 months. These data were applied to appropriate age ranges for recommended WCVs to determine attendance. Associations were modeled longitudinally as odds of attending visits and as mean differences in proportions of WCVs by COI. RESULTS: Among 4650 children, 21% (n = 977) experienced VL or low COI. Children experiencing VL (adjusted OR [aOR] 0.68, 95% CI 0.61, 0.76), low (aOR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73, 0.90), and moderate COI (aOR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81, 0.96), compared to VH COI, had decreased odds of attending any WCV. The estimated, adjusted mean proportions of WCV attendance were lower among children experiencing VL (0.45, P < .01), low (0.53, P = .02), moderate (0.53, P = .05), and high (0.54, P = .03) compared to VH COI (0.56). CONCLUSIONS: Lower COI at birth was associated with decreased WCV attendance throughout early childhood. Reducing barriers to health care access for children experiencing lower COI may advance equitable well child care.

Child Opportunity Index Mobility, Recurrent Wheezing, and Asthma in Early Childhood: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study.

We prospectively examined associations between mobility in neighborhood opportunity and early childhood recurrent wheezing/asthma. Downward mobility was associated with developing asthma, but not recurrent wheezing, though associations were attenuated after adjusting for family-level socioeconomic status. Elucidating how neighborhoods impact asthma may inform asthma equity initiatives in early childhood.

Disparities in Racial, Ethnic, and Payer Groups for Pediatric Safety Events in US Hospitals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Health care disparities are pervasive, but little is known about disparities in pediatric safety. We analyzed a national sample of hospitalizations to identify disparities in safety events. METHODS: In this population-based, retrospective cohort study of the 2019 Kids' Inpatient Database, independent variables were race, ethnicity, and payer. Outcomes were Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality pediatric safety indicators (PDIs). Risk-adjusted odds ratios were calculated using white and private payer reference groups. Differences by payer were evaluated by stratifying race and ethnicity. RESULTS: Race and ethnicity of the 5 243 750 discharged patients were white, 46%; Hispanic, 19%; Black, 15%; missing, 8%; other race/multiracial, 7%, Asian American/Pacific Islander, 5%; and Native American, 1%. PDI rates (per 10 000 discharges) were 331.4 for neonatal blood stream infection, 267.5 for postoperative respiratory failure, 114.9 for postoperative sepsis, 29.5 for postoperative hemorrhage/hematoma, 5.6 for central-line blood stream infection, 3.5 for accidental puncture/laceration, and 0.7 for iatrogenic pneumothorax. Compared with white patients, Black and Hispanic patients had significantly greater odds in 5 of 7 PDIs; the largest disparities occurred in postoperative sepsis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.55 [1.38-1.73]) for Black patients and postoperative respiratory failure (adjusted odds ratio, 1.34 [1.21-1.49]) for Hispanic patients. Compared with privately insured patients, Medicaid-covered patients had significantly greater odds in 4 of 7 PDIs; the largest disparity occurred in postoperative sepsis (adjusted odds ratios, 1.45 [1.33-1.59]). Stratified analyses demonstrated persistent disparities by race and ethnicity, even among privately insured children. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities in safety events were identified for Black and Hispanic children, indicating a need for targeted interventions to improve patient safety in the hospital.

Racial and ethnic disparities in diagnostic imaging for child physical abuse.

IMPORTANCE: Racial bias may affect occult injury testing decisions for children with concern for abuse. OBJECTIVES: To determine the association of race on occult injury testing decisions at children's hospitals. DESIGN: In this retrospective study, we measured disparities in: (1) the proportion of visits for which indicated diagnostic imaging studies for child abuse were obtained; (2) the proportion of positive tests. SETTING: The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) administrative database encompassing 49 tertiary children's hospitals during 2017-2019. PARTICIPANTS: We built three cohorts based on guidelines for diagnostic testing for child abuse: infants with traumatic brain injury (TBI; n = 1952), children <2 years old with extremity fracture (n = 20,842), and children <2 years old who received a skeletal survey (SS; n = 13,081). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: For each group we measured: (1) the odds of receiving a specific guideline-recommended diagnostic imaging study; (2) among those with the indicated imaging study, the odds of an abuse-related injury diagnosis. We calculated both unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) by race and ethnicity, adjusting for sex, age in months, payor, and hospital. RESULTS: In infants with TBI, the odds of receiving a SS did not differ by racial group. Among those with a SS, the odds of rib fracture were higher for non-Hispanic Black than Hispanic (AOR 2.05 (CI 1.31, 3.2)) and non-Hispanic White (AOR 1.57 (CI 1.11, 2.32)) patients. In children with extremity fractures, the odds of receiving a SS were higher for non-Hispanic Black than Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients (AOR 1.97 (CI 1.74, 2.23)); (AOR 1.17 (CI 1.05, 1.31)), respectively, and lower for Hispanic than non-Hispanic White patients (AOR 0.59 (CI 0.53, 0.67)). Among those receiving a SS, the rate of rib fractures did not differ by race. In children with skeletal surveys, the odds of receiving neuroimaging did not differ by race. Among those with neuroimaging, the odds of a non-fracture, non-concussion TBI were lower in non-Hispanic Black than Hispanic patients (AOR 0.7 (CI 0.57, 0.86)) and were higher among Hispanic than non-Hispanic White patients (AOR 1.23 (CI 1.02, 1.47)). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: We did not identify a consistent pattern of race-based disparities in occult injury testing when considering the concurrent yield for abuse-related injuries.

Care Models and Discharge Services for Children With Medical Complexity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Children with medical complexity (CMC) are high health care utilizers prompting hospitals to implement care models focused on this population, yet practices have not been evaluated on a national level. Our objective with this study is to describe the presence and structure of care models and the use of discharge services for CMC admitted to freestanding children's hospitals across the nation. METHODS: We distributed an electronic survey to 48 hospitals within the Pediatric Health Information System exploring the availability of care models and discharge services for CMC. Care models were grouped by type and number present at each institution. Discharge services were grouped by low (never, rarely), medium (sometimes), and high (most of the time, always) frequency use. RESULTS: Of 48 eligible hospitals, 33 completed the survey (69%). There were no significant differences between responders and non-responders for both hospital and patient characteristics. Most participants identified an outpatient care model (67%), whereas 21% had no dedicated care model for CMC in the inpatient or outpatient setting. High-frequency discharge services included durable medical equipment delivery, medication delivery, and communication with outpatient provider before discharge. Low-frequency discharge services included the use of a structured handoff tool for outpatient communication, personalized access plans, inpatient team follow-up with family after discharge, and the use of discharge checklists. CONCLUSIONS: Children's hospitals vary largely in care model structure and discharge services. Future work is needed to evaluate the associations between care models and discharge services for CMC with various health care outcomes.