Children who require complex care with medical technology often require daily, intensive care from caregivers including tracheostomies, long-term ventilator dependence, noninvasive respiratory support and enteral feeding tubes. These children are a part of the larger population of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) who are often understudied. A recent article published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care examined the salient research on the social determinants of health (SDOH) among children with complex care and technology needs that affect their health, well-being and quality of life to identify gaps in the research and then make recommendations for future research, practice, policy and education.
SDOH are defined as the conditions people are born into, live, learn, work, play, worship and age that affect their health, well-being, and quality-of-life outcomes in their daily lives. Caregivers of children with medical technology dependence experience significant disparities regarding SDOH that impact their children, including unmet care needs, financial hardships, difficulty attending school, social isolation and lack of support, poor housing, and lack of food and transportation.
“The social determinants of health that impact parents also impact their children, especially those with complex care and technological needs. Clinicians need to identify health disparities among the populations they serve and advocate for equity to enhance child and family health and well-being,” said Barbara K. Giambra, PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP-PC, coauthor of the article.
Through addressing the health inequities that impact children with complex care and technological needs, there is an opportunity to bring greater awareness to the obstacles they, along with their family caregivers, face while allowing health care providers to become more informed on ways they can advocate for policy change, education efforts and more.
“Children with complex care and technology needs are an understudied and lesser-known population of children with special health care needs. More research is needed to address health disparities and improve health outcomes for these children and families,” said article coauthor Regena Spratling, PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP-PC, FAANP, FAAN.
Currently, access to high-quality health care remains unattainable or limited in access for many families and their children who require complex care and technology. By creating and enhancing social advantages and working to minimize social disadvantages for the family, there is an opportunity to also improve the care and health of children.
The article “Examining Children With Complex Care and Technology Needs in the Context of Social Determinants of Health” was published in the May/June edition of the Journal of Pediatric Health Care and can be accessed here.
June 9, 2023Â
