ABSTRACT
Purpose of Study: Between September 2020 and November 2021, a survey was developed in partnership with children, youth, and community members experiencing vulnerabilities in a Vancouver Inner City Neighbourhood (ICN) to explore challenges encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the survey, participants were asked questions about their financial status, housing security, food accessibility, and other social determinants of health. Other equity-seeking groups in Vancouver, including youth experiencing developmental and/or other medical diversity, wished to adapt the ICN COVID-19 survey to explore the impact of the pandemic in their community. These youth are active members of the province's pediatric tertiary care teaching hospital's Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), and in sharing their lived experience as patients, they strive to improve the quality of healthcare for children and youth throughout British Columbia. The objectives of this study were to: 1) adapt the COVID-19 survey to capture the views and needs of youth experiencing developmental and/or other medical diversity;and 2) identify how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted this group's social determinants of health. Methods Used: Ethics board approval was obtained for this observational, cross-sectional study (H20-00987). The research team and YAC co-constructed an adapted COVID-19 survey via Zoom dialogues. YAC members completed the survey online via Qualtrics from May 2022-August 2022. Demographic information and survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Summary of Results: In total, 12 participants completed the survey, including 11 youth and 1 staff member. The median age of the youth participants was 23 years (n=11, min=14, max=29). During the COVID-19 pandemic, 82% (9/11) of youth reported changes in their ability to attend work or school, 36% (4/11) reported concern around reliable and affordable access to medications/medical treatment, and 46% (5/11) reported difficulty in caring for themselves. 46% (5/11) of youth also reported difficulty in caring for older adults or people in their families with disabilities. Many youth (6/11;55%) reported they had less than five people to turn to for support in times of stress, and 46% (5/11) of youth reported the pandemic changed their ability to connect with these people. Furthermore, 82% (9/11) of youth reported experiencing some level of distress related to the pandemic. 73% (8/11) of youth reported heightened anxiety, 82% (9/11) reported worsened mood, 55% (6/11) reported difficulty sleeping, and 64% (7/11) reported difficulty exercising. Conclusion(s): Youth with developmental and/or other complex medical diversity experienced difficulties accessing work and education, reliable and affordable medical care, and social support due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic negatively impacted the social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of these youth, indicating a need for future dialogue and advocacy to ensure the views and voices on rights of children and youth are honoured.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Public health mandates associated with COVID-19 added unprecedented stress on families, providers and the health care systems;including our ambulatory multidisciplinary cleft team care. In order to continue to provide responsive, multidisciplinary team (MDT) cleft and craniofacial care, it was essential to identify direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on our patients and families, whilst planning ahead for ongoing coordinated surgical, pediatric, and psychosocial interventions. Our team developed a short on-line psychosocial screening questionnaire that was administered prior to our MDT clinics, using a What Matters to You quality improvement (QI) format. OBJECTIVE(S): 1.To establish and test the utility of a What Matters to You quality improvement (QI) questionnaire. 2.To use this questionnaire in order to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients and family access to health services. DESIGN/METHODS: Our team developed a 5-question online smartphone- accessible survey and distributed this to families prior to their MDT clinic visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed survey results from May 2020-October 2021 in order to understand the impact of COVID-19 on families as well as the utility of our survey system. RESULT(S): Out of 110 sequential MDT visits, families reported that COVID impacted timely access to health services (20%);employment (32%);basic needs like food and shelter (13%);and social capital. Almost half (47%) reported less than 5 people to turn to for extra support. The most common concerns caregivers have about their children were development, learning, and/or school progress (38%);mental health (36%) and social emotional well-being (31%). CONCLUSION(S): Our study shows that 5 key psychosocial screening questions can be utilized to facilitate care coordination, responsiveness, and triage for in-person and virtual care settings, and respond to family centred care priorities in the midst of evolving COVID-19 landscapes.
ABSTRACT
Background/Purpose: The public health mandates associated with COVID-19 to decrease transmission in children and youth added unprecedented stress on families, providers and health care systems, including ambulatory multidisciplinary cleft/craniofacial team care. In order to provide responsive, multidisciplinary team (MDT) cleft and craniofacial care, it was essential to identify direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on our patients and families, whilst planning ahead for ongoing coordinated surgical, pediatric, and psychosocial interventions. The purpose of this Platform presentation is to discuss how incorporating a short on-line psychosocial screening questionnaire prior to a MDT clinic, using a 'What Matters to You' quality improvement (QI) format, can facilitate care coordination and responsiveness, triage for in-person and virtual care settings, and respond to family centred care priorities in the midst of evolving COVID-19 landscapes. Methods/Description: Description - During this platform paper, the interdisciplinary team coordinator and/or pediatrician from a large North American multidisciplinary Cleft Craniofacial Program will present the key findings from a quality improvement project conducted during the concurrent COVID-19 pandemic. The use of a smart phone accessible data system to record QI data will also be discussed. Main Objectives of Presentation - At the end of this presentation, the learner will list 5 key psychosocial screening questions to triage patients in need of addition supports exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Care coordinators will discuss key findings and the application of similar approaches in other team settings to address direct and indirect care needs exacerbated by COVID-19 and its aftermath. Key Findings and Insights - Out of 110 sequential MDT visits, families reported that COVID impacted timely access to health services (20%);employment (32%);basic needs like food and shelter (13%);and social capital. Almost half (47%) reported less than 5 people to turn to for extra support. The most common concerns caregivers reported about their children were development, learning, and/or school progress (38%);mental health (36%) and social emotional well-being (31%).