Identifier |
2024_Royce_Paper |
Title |
Improving Food Insecurity Toolkit to Improve Screening, Follow-up, and Referral Process for Food Insecure Patients at the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake |
Creator |
Royce, Emily R.; Puri, Danielle; Clifton, Jennifer |
Subject |
Advanced Nursing Practice; Education, Nursing, Graduate; Mass Screening; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Food Insecurity; Prevalence; American Indian or Alaska Native; Health Literacy; Nutritionists; Patient Education as Topic; Health education; Social Determinants of Health; Vulnerable Populations; Urban Health Services; Health Services Needs and Demand; Referral and Consultation; Quality Improvement |
Description |
Food insecurity is the inability to purchase the proper quality or quantity of food for optimal health. More than one in four American Indians and Alaskan Natives experience food insecurity (Move for Hunger, 2023), which is associated with higher rates of chronic disease and depression (Hager et al., 2010; Cain et al., 2022). Providers face many barriers to adequate care for food insecurity, especially a lack of knowledge and confidence. Local Problem: Providers at the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake are concerned about food insecurity in the Native American community. The Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake lacks a streamlined approach for screening, identifying, and referring food insecure patients. Key improvement opportunities include inconsistent screening, education, and follow-up practices, low confidence in addressing positive food insecurity screenings, and a lack of knowledge about community resources. Methods: This quality improvement project used quantitative data from a chart review to assess the total number of patients seen, the number of patients who received a food insecurity ICD-10 code, and the number of patients who received a referral to the dietician. This project also collected quantitative and qualitative data via surveys to evaluate providers' comfort and knowledge levels and identify perceived barriers and facilitators to addressing food insecurity. Interventions: This project was implemented at the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake, a small urban clinic providing free healthcare to the Native American population. A food insecurity toolkit was developed, implemented, and evaluated. The toolkit contained information on food insecurity, a process flowchart to streamline patient care, and a list of resources. Results: During the eight-week pre-implementation period, zero of 313 patients (0.00%) received a food insecurity ICD-10 diagnosis, and three of those 313 received a referral to the dietician for food insecurity. During the eight weeks post-implementation, six of 215 patients (0.03%) received a diagnosis, while none received a referral to the dietician. Each of the four interviewed providers reported increased knowledge in addressing positive screeners and greater comfort in discussing food insecurity resources. All providers thought the toolkit was feasible for daily practice. Zero respondents would change the contents of the toolkit, and all endorsed the integration of the toolkit into daily practice. Conclusion: Following the toolkit implementation, providers exhibited more knowledge and confidence in screening for and addressing food insecurity. Despite improvements, toolkit implementation revealed underlying gaps in how providers chart efforts related to screening for and addressing food insecurity. Future strategies should include streamlining charting processes related to screening and referring patients for food insecurity. |
Relation is Part of |
Graduate Nursing Project, Doctor of Nursing Practice, DNP, Primary Care / FNP |
Publisher |
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah |
Date |
2024 |
Type |
Text |
Holding Institution |
Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah |
Language |
eng |
ARK |
ark:/87278/s6031x4k |
Setname |
ehsl_gradnu |
ID |
2520517 |
Reference URL |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6031x4k |