“TEACH”ing: Evaluation of a 3-Year Multimodal Child Poverty Curriculum

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES As child poverty is a pervasive problem throughout the United States, future pediatricians need to be equipped to interact with families experiencing poverty. Although accrediting bodies encourage curricula to address advocacy and social determinants/drivers of health, existing curricula often do not include multimodal learning or demonstrate a robust evaluation plan with documented outcomes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a longitudinal child poverty curriculum through quantitative and qualitative analysis. METHODS The Trainee Education in Advocacy and Community Health (TEACH) curriculum, created by a team of faculty, trainees, social workers, and community organizations, is a longitudinal curriculum that includes interactive modules, reflection questions, community activities, and patient care plans. This study describes curriculum outcomes from more than 200 residents at a large urban academic pediatric residency program. RESULTS Learners indicated high satisfaction over 3 years of participation; they showed statistically significant improvement in pre/posttest knowledge questions, confidence, and self-reported attitudes about feeling more prepared and effective in assisting families in poverty. After a skill-building activity, resident reflections described empathy for patients, understanding of navigating internal and external referrals for social factors, and recognition of the importance of universal screening of social needs. CONCLUSIONS The TEACH curriculum provides a critical learning opportunity for residents to receive standardized education on child poverty, recognize the importance of screening for poverty, and gain skills in addressing child poverty. Next steps include evaluating learners in clinical practice.