Material Goods Provided in Pediatric Primary Care Clinics: A Landscape Analysis

Objectives: To characterize the 1) types of material goods (non-medical items) offered in pediatric residency continuity clinics, 2) consistency of good availability, 3) funding sources used to support supply, 4) whether goods are provided in response to social needs screening, and 5) common challenges with provision. To assess the extent to which provision of goods varied by clinic size and proportion of publicly insured patients.

Methods: Faculty and staff members from clinics in the Academic Pediatric Association's Continuity Research Network (APA CORNET) completed an online survey about material goods provided in their clinic in the preceding 12 months. Descriptive analyses were performed; Chi square tests were used to assess differences by clinic size and proportion of publicly insured patients.

Results: 51 of 113 eligible programs completed the survey (45%), representing varying clinic sizes and all regions in the United States. All clinics provided books, but reports varied regarding provision of other goods (49% provided food), as did the availability, funding sources, and screening processes for each good. Commonly reported challenges were funding (82%), storage (65%), and sustainability (53%). The types of material goods provided did not vary by clinic size or proportion of publicly insured patients.

Conclusion: This report highlights the range of material goods provided in pediatric continuity clinics and the variability in their availability, funding sources, and screening processes and can serve as the basis for future research to evaluate the impact of material goods provision.