Massachusetts Pediatric Injury Equity Review (MassPIER): A Process to Address Injury Inequities.

Abstract

Significant inequities in pediatric injury outcomes exist. We aim to develop a process to assist child death review (CDR) teams in identifying upstream factors that lead to inequitable outcomes in pediatric injuries. We spent 6 months (November 2021-April 2022) working with 3 CDR teams in Massachusetts to understand their tools and processes for CDR. During that time, we began to iteratively develop a pediatric injury equity review process and tools. Between May and October 2022, acceptability and adaptability of the resulting Massachusetts Pediatric Injury Equity Review (MassPIER) process and tools were evaluated through focus groups and a Research Electronic Data Capture survey of participants. We compared the prevention recommendations of the CDR teams before the implementation of MassPIER with those generated using MassPIER. A χ2 and Fisher's exact test assessed whether the 2 sets of recommendations differed with regard to equity. A 7-step process was developed, along with 2 tools for use during the MassPIER process. From an acceptability and adaptability standpoint, 100% of participants strongly agreed or agreed that the MassPIER process was simple to follow and adaptable to any type of injury. Ninety-five percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that the approach could be replicated by other teams. Furthermore, the MassPIER process increased the likelihood of generating equity-focused recommendations in general (P < .05), and particularly recommendations focusing on economic inequities (P < .05). MassPIER is effective in facilitating equity-focused discussion and recommendation development. It is acceptable to team members, and adaptable to other types of injury.