Data driven approach to car seat distribution within primary care sites

Ashley Mahnke, MBA, CHES, CPST-I
Jane Howard, MS, CPST-I
Diana Barany, MBA
Jacqueline Whelan, MN, RN, CLN
Megan Sheble, BS
Anastasia Brennan, MSN, MPH, RN, CPN

Car seats are expensive and can present a significant barrier for families with limited income and financial instability. Understanding motor vehicle crash (MVC) injuries within our health system helps create direction for our child passenger safety (CPS) programming while aligning with the hospital’s system goals of addressing sDoH to improve health and equity for families. By using a data driven approach, it was clear there was an opportunity to expand car seat services to certain primary care locations. The aim of the project is to use the data to understand which clinics have the greatest need for car seats and safety education to be provided for their children.

A data driven approach was taken to analyze MVC injuries presenting in our urban level 1 trauma center. To understand the health disparities related to MVC the CPS team partnered with health management, and Department of Transportation (DOT) to collect data. The health management team created an insight data report to tracked children presenting in ED/UC with a chief complaint of MVC. The report includes information on who is being injured in crashes, their age, race, ethnicity, acuity of injury, and primary care provider (PCP). Two clinics were identified based on highest number of children presenting in the ED/UC for MVC, social economic factors contributed to the selection of the sites, based on geographic location, these sites serves some of the most vulnerable populations in our system, and have a higher proportion of children and families with documented financial instability. In addition to ED/UC data, the department of transportation was able to contribute crash data within a geographic area by the two clinics.

In 2021, 317 children presented in the ED/UC with a chief complaint of MVC and had a PCP from one of our 20 primary care locations. The two identified clinics totaled 24% of the MVCs presenting in the ED/UC and had the most MVCs out of all other locations. The crashes occurring in the geographical neighborhoods of the clinics highlights a need to provide car seat services. In 2021, 2,265 people were injured in crashes within a 2.5 mile radius of the identified clinics and 63 of 187 children were injured as a result of the crash.

Based on the initial findings, the data has indicated a substantial need to provide car seat education and distribution from the two identified community clinics (Midtown and Next Door Pediatrics). Our next steps is to collaborate with staff at the clinic to pilot the car seat educator model to distribute car seats to identified families when they are there for a well-child appointment. The program could have greater reach, especially into the most vulnerable communities. Upon successful pilot, this model will spread to all primary care sites.

Describe how to create data reports and collaboration with partners to understand health disparities.

Understand how to use a data driven approach to expand car seat programming to primary care clinics.

Learn about clinical integration to address health equities in underserved locations.