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Challenges and Successes with Food Resource Referrals for Food-Insecure Patients with Diabetes
Clinics increasingly screen patients for food insecurity, but little is known about the efficacy of referring food-insecure patients to community-based food resources. To evaluate the implementation of a tailored community food resource referral program in a safety-net diabetes clinic. We conducted...
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Published in: | Permanente journal 2019, Vol.23 (1) |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Clinics increasingly screen patients for food insecurity, but little is known about the efficacy of referring food-insecure patients to community-based food resources.
To evaluate the implementation of a tailored community food resource referral program in a safety-net diabetes clinic.
We conducted semistructured phone interviews with food-insecure patients participating in a screening and referral program in a diabetes clinic affiliated with a safety-net hospital. In this qualitative study, we describe barriers to and facilitators of successful food resource referrals from the patient's perspective.
The prevalence of food insecurity was high (60%). Provision of written and verbal information alone about community food resources resulted in low linkage rates (0%-4%), even with individually tailored referrals. Misperceptions about eligibility, fears around government program registration, inaccessibility, lack of information retention, competing priorities, an inability to cook, stigma, and a perceived sense of stability with existing food support were major barriers to use. Personnel-guided, in-clinic enrollment to a food resource facilitated a higher connection rate (31%).
Results of this study suggest that screening for food insecurity followed by a list of food resources for those screening positive may not adequately address patient barriers to using community-based food resources. For food insecurity screening programs in the clinical setting to be effective, systems must not only distribute food resource information but also assist patients in enrollment processes. |
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ISSN: | 1552-5767 1552-5775 |
DOI: | 10.7812/TPP/18-097 |