Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Follow-Up for Neonates Requiring Neurocritical Care

Objective: Exploration of associations of social determinants of health (SDH) with attrition rates of neurocritical care graduates at follow-up. Study Design: An observational retrospective cohort study conducted to evaluate the attrition rates of infant’s first appointment scheduled with the NeuroNICU follow-up clinic in correlation with SDH. Results: The “No Show” group was more likely to have unemployed (p=0.014), black or multiracial mothers (p=0.005), public insurance (p<0.001), have lower gestational age (p<0.001), live further from the clinic (0.011), and have a lower zip code associated income (p=0.008). After controlling for driving time, race, and education, infants who had private insurance were 2.268 times more likely to attend their follow-up visit when compared to infants who had public insurance (p=0.014). Conclusions: A significant SDH-related difference existed among “Show” and “No Show” groups. Identifying these factors during NICU admission can facilitate targeted support for families while inpatient and promote improved outpatient follow-up.