Featured Papers
Analysis of a Medication Safety Intervention in the Pediatric Emergency Department
Strategies to reduce medication dosing errors are crucial for improving outcomes. The Medication Education for Dosing Safety (MEDS) intervention, consisting of a simplified handout, dosing syringe, dose demonstration and teach-back, was shown to be effective in the emergency department (ED), but optimal intervention strategies to move it into clinical practice remain to be described.
Samuels-Kalow ME, Tassone R, Manning W, et al. Analysis of a Medication Safety Intervention in the Pediatric Emergency Department. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(1):e2351629. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.51629
The terminology of social emergency medicine: Measuring social determinants of health, social risk, and social need
With the rise of social emergency medicine (SEM) as a field, there is a need for a simplified and consistent set of definitions. These definitions are important for clinicians screening in the emergency department, for health systems to understand service needs, for epidemiological tracking, and for research data sharing and harmonization.
Samuels-Kalow ME, Ciccolo GE, Lin MP, Schoenfeld EM, Camargo CA Jr. The terminology of social emergency medicine: Measuring social determinants of health, social risk, and social need. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2020 Jul 20;1(5):852-856. doi: 10.1002/emp2.12191. PMID: 33145531; PMCID: PMC7593464
Missed Screening for Adverse Social Determinants of Health and Emergency Department Utilization
Although adverse social determinants of health are associated with poorer health outcomes and are highly prevalent in emergency department (ED) patients, many screening efforts have only been in primary care settings. Primary care–based screening may exacerbate disparities as patients with barriers to accessing primary care never receive resources. We therefore sought to describe the demographic characteristics and ED utilization of Medicaid patients who were missed by a primary care screening program.
Samuels-Kalow ME, Mayes K, Cash RE, Schiavoni KH, Vogeli C, Thorndike AN, Camargo CA Jr. Missed Screening for Adverse Social Determinants of Health and Emergency Department Utilization. Ann Emerg Med. 2023 Dec 22:S0196-0644(23)01357-4. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.11.008. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38142374
Prevalence of Emergency Department Social Risk and Social Needs
Social risks, or adverse social conditions associated with poor health, are prevalent in emergency department (ED) patients, but little is known about how the prevalence of social risk compares to a patient’s reported social need, which incorporates patient preference for intervention. The goal of this study was to describe the relationship between social risk and social need, and identify factors associated with differential responses to social risk and social need questions.
Molina MF, Li CN, Manchanda EC, White B, Faridi MK, Espinola JA, Ashworth H, Ciccolo G, Camargo CA Jr, Samuels-Kalow M. Prevalence of Emergency Department Social Risk and Social Needs. West J Emerg Med. 2020 Oct 6;21(6):152-161. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.7.47796. PMID: 33207161; PMCID: PMC7673900
Prevalence of social risk factors and social needs in a Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO)
Health-related social needs (HRSN) are associated with higher chronic disease prevalence and healthcare utilization. Health systems increasingly screen for HRSN during routine care. In this study, we compare the differential prevalence of social risk factors and social needs in a Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and identify the patient and practice characteristics associated with reporting social needs in a different domain from social risks.
Schiavoni, K.H., Helscel, K., Vogeli, C. et al. Prevalence of social risk factors and social needs in a Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO). BMC Health Serv Res 22, 1375 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08721-9
Measured Twice: Time for the Expansion of Social Care Interventions and Patient-Centered Outcomes
Without the ability to effectively intervene, social risk/need assessments and continued monitoring of exposure to adverse social determinants of health become unethical. Instead, we should develop interventions and outcome metrics, in partnership with patients and communities, to make the greatest effect within a system of constrained social resources and simultaneously build advocacy and policy momentum to increase those resources.
Cullen D, Samuels-Kalow ME. Measured Twice: Time for the Expansion of Social Care Interventions and Patient-Centered Outcomes. Ann Emerg Med. 2024 Jan 2:S0196-0644(23)01424-5. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.12.001. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38180400
