Connecticut Children's Researchers Author Heart Disease Study

Press release from Connecticut Children's:

Dec. 1, 2020

Connecticut Children’s physician researchers recently co-authored an important study about the direct correlation between social determinants of health (SDH) and outcomes for children and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD).

Social determinants of health are conditions in which people live and grow up within our society that include poverty, lack of insurance, housing instability, parental educational attainment, immigration status, food insecurity, and transportation barriers. This study shows that these factors impact access to care and the overall health and well-being of people living with CHD.

“Social determinants of health are a powerful predictor of outcomes in many areas of medicine,” said Brooke Davey, MD, Connecticut Children’s cardiologist. “This particular study focused on how conditions of our society affect the prognosis of patients with CHD across the lifespan, including fetal diagnosis; incidence and prevalence of CHD; infant mortality; post-surgical outcomes; access to care, loss to follow-up, and hospital readmissions; neurodevelopmental outcomes and quality of life; and adult CHD.”

The study highlights the need for innovative interventions, such as parent mentors, within the field of CHD to achieve better outcomes for these patients and their families.

The findings also indicate that an urgent priority and one of the most important interventions for CHD patients would be routinely screening for SDH, with referrals to appropriate services for those who screen positive. This type of screening could have the potential to improve outcomes for CHD patients across the lifespan.

“By identifying what puts patients at increased risk, we are better able to target inequities with interventions and positively impact outcomes,” said Raina Sinha, MD, MPH, Connecticut Children’s cardiac surgeon. “We have an obligation to provide quality healthcare to all people regardless of socio-economic status. This study will help us take an informed look at how to provide care to people who may not otherwise proactively seek it.”

For more information on Connecticut Children’s cardiac surgery & cardiology programs, visit www.connecticutchildrens.org/cardiology

This press release was produced by Connecticut Children's. The views expressed here are the author's own.