This quality improvement study evaluated the rate at which families with unmet health-related social needs (HRSN) in a Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) successfully connected with social services via an automated EHR-based referral workflow — resource guides printed automatically with discharge summaries — over a 6-month period (March–August 2025).
Of 229 eligible families, 101 (44.1%) completed follow-up surveys; 22.8% (23/101) successfully connected with a social service. Only 46.5% recalled receiving the resource guide, and 25.8% found it helpful. The most common barrier to connection was losing the contact information (n=36, 64.4% of non-attempters).
- Low follow-up survey completion rate (44.1%) introduces response bias and likely overestimates true connection rates. - Single-site PED study limits generalizability. - Self-reported outcomes via telephone survey are subject to recall bias (only 46.5% remembered receiving the guide).
A simple, automated print-at-discharge HRSN resource guide connected roughly 1 in 4 families who completed follow-up — a modest but meaningful rate for a low-burden intervention. Addressing the top barrier (losing contact info) through digital delivery or active follow-up may meaningfully improve connection rates.
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