Richard M. & Maggie C. Daley Building |14 E Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604 | (312) 362-7302
Capstone Abstracts
Community Health Practice - Lurie Cohort 2022
A Landscape Assessment of Mental Health Resources Available to Youth in the Austin Community in Chicago
Practicum Site: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Lisa Montagano, Amreena Suri, and Syed Husain
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Introduction: Recent data has shown a rise in mental health illnesses leading to an increase in the need for more resources in terms of mental health care. This project aims to determine what mental health resources are available and what is lacking in terms of outpatient resources to youth in the Austin community in Chicago. Approach: Thirteen surveys by Austin youth were completed, two key informant interviews completed, asset mapping using NowPow, and data collected from Metopio. Outcomes: Asset mapping revealed a limited availability of mental health resources. Surveys revealed that the youth weren’t aware of the availability of nearby mental health resources. Additionally, responses from interviewees acknowledged some resource availability with the caveat those resources were limited and that more resources and early interventions were needed. Conclusion: Mental illness is a complex issue that needs to be addressed through multiple approaches which need to be made easily and equitably available to all in the community. Policy changes should be implemented for accessible, affordable, and comprehensive mental health care in the Austin community.
Pediatric Emergency Department-based Firearm Access and Safe Storage Quality Improvement Initiative
Practicum Site: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Erene Hanna, Kim Kaczor, and Kaitlin Keeley
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Introduction. Suicide by firearms is a leading cause of death among youth. Many pediatric patients are seen in the Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) for suicide ideation/attempt. PED providers may prevent injury or death by addressing firearms access and providing counseling on safe storage. Approach. PED-based quality improvement initiative focused on PED provider documentation of firearm access and storage. Eligible patients were evaluated in the PED between 2/1/20 and 3/31/22 and had diagnosis codes of suicide attempt or self-injury. The intervention was implementation of a templated phrase in the electronic medical record (EMR). Provider notes from 11% of patients were manually reviewed for the presence of firearm documentation. A list of firearms-related keywords was iteratively generated. The list allowed automated identification of the presence of firearms documentation in each patient’s EMR. Month-over-month compliance was tracked. Outcomes. Provider notes for 192 patients were manually reviewed. The following keywords were identified: gun, firearm, handgun, shotgun, pistol, and shoot. Documentation of firearm access increased from a mean of 12.9% to 77.2% post-intervention and safe storage from 56.3% to 82.4%. Conclusion. Implementation of a templated phrase in the EMR resulted in increased documentation of firearm access and safe storage. The use of keywords facilitated an automated and sustainable method of monitoring provider documentation.
Exploring the Barriers in Digital Health Between Providers and the Spanish-Speaking Population with Chronic Health Conditions
​Practicum Site: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Bianca Alvarez, Suzanne McKay, and Mischa Zagore
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Introduction: Chronic Health Conditions (CHC) continue to impact children's health in the underserved communities of Chicago. This project identified potential barriers to providing treatment to Spanish-speaking patients with chronic health conditions via digital health, as stated by healthcare providers at Lurie Children’s Hospital. Approach. A mixed-methods survey questionnaire consisting of ten questions was developed to identify barriers observed by providers while conducting digital health visits with Spanish-speaking patients affected by chronic health conditions. The survey was distributed amongst four key divisions (Cardiology, Pulmonary, Endocrinology, and Clinical Nutrition). Outcomes. Twenty-two providers completed the survey within one week. Questions in the survey included the efficiency of the current digital health platform and other potential barriers. Results showed that 81% of providers required a Spanish interpreter during their visits and stated that patients have digital communication difficulties. Providers also used the questionnaire to express concerns they felt needed improvement related to digital health visits. Conclusion. The development of the survey acts as an appropriate intervention to educate providers on the roadblocks to access for all. The aim is also to encourage these divisions to make digital health services more culturally competent for Spanish-speaking patients with CHCs.
To Inhalers and Beyond: A Framework for Delivering Specialty Medicine Via Mobile Health
Practicum Site: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Grace Bommarito, Erin Gorman, Corinne James, and Michael Vogt
Introduction. Health promotion is an effective tool in raising awareness of services for chronic health conditions, such as asthma. Increasing awareness of the Mobile Asthma Clinic (MAC) through community partners in Belmont Cragin and Austin may increase use of MAC mobile services. Improving accessibility of asthma education materials may increase adherence to treatment. This project aimed to develop promotional materials and a dissemination plan to increase community awareness of mobile asthma services and accessibility of educational materials. Approach. Discussions with clinical team and mobile program leadership identified opportunities for creation of promotional materials and potential community partnerships. Outcomes. Promotional materials, including a fact sheet, appointment summary, flyers, and QR codes to access contact card and educational materials were created for distribution to patients and community partners. Materials were created to be replicable for future mobile specialty services. Conclusion. Development of the framework to disseminate health promotion materials will increase knowledge of the Mobile Asthma Clinic program in the community and provide accessible tools to patients to manage their condition. This strategy may lead to improvement of pediatric asthma patient outcomes. Use of this framework may yield similar benefits for patients of other specialty clinics offered in the future.
Hospital Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion ​
Practicum Site: Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago ​
Caitlin Foster, Alexa Karczmar, and Andrea Romaniuk
Introduction. Through policy, practice, and community outreach, hospitals can address social influencers of health and improve health equity in their communities. Specifically, diverse hiring initiatives that target marginalized populations and other equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategies at hospitals can lead to better health outcomes for patients, staff, and communities. This project sought to collate and analyze policy and employee feedback around EDI strategic planning goals at Lurie Children’s. Approach. This project utilized environmental scan methodology, which included key informant interviews and an analysis of 40 internal policies, to better understand the scope and employee awareness of EDI work at Lurie Children’s. Outcomes. The study revealed themes for future research - including leadership, communications, and EDI framework. Recommendations for future work, along with sharing an employee-facing web portal will help streamline communications and increase employee awareness. These findings also informed a summary report for EDI leadership. Conclusion. There is more research to be conducted, but Lurie Children’s is following many best practices related to advancing EDI. Areas of opportunity include more transparent communications and new ways to engage employees in this work. Current initiatives and new activities will help strengthen EDI to better serve patients, staff, and communities.