Evaluation of an interprofessional school-based health centre: A multimethods study

TL;DR

This study evaluates an interprofessional school-based health center and finds it effective in addressing complex health needs of vulnerable children.

Contribution

The study provides a multimethods evaluation of an interprofessional SBHC in a low-income community.

Findings

The SBHC served 153 patients with 760 appointments over 98 clinic half-days.

Mental health conditions were the most common diagnoses, with 80% of children needing care beyond preventative medicine.

The interprofessional model was found feasible and scalable for vulnerable children.

Abstract

School-based health centres (SBHCs) aim to improve access to care, especially among socially vulnerable children. Interprofessional SBHCs are emerging, though their evaluations remain limited. We evaluated an interprofessional SBHC in a low-income community.

The evaluation of the SBHCs was guided by the RE-AIM framework. The multimethods design included (i) a document analysis and (ii) a retrospective chart review of SBHC patients from September 2021 to May 2024.

The SBHC team comprised of paediatricians, a dietitian, occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, and a nurse working alongside school staff and community providers. After 98 clinic half-days, 760 appointments were scheduled across 153 patients, with a nonattendance rate of 12%. Care needs extended beyond preventative medicine for 80% of children, with mental health conditions being the most common diagnoses.

This evaluation demonstrates that interprofessional SBHCs are feasible and offer a scalable model for addressing the complex health needs of socially vulnerable children.

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