Health Equity and Children With Medical Complexity/Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs: A Scoping Review

Authors

Elizabeth A. Flasch, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2025

Publisher

Elsevier

Source Publication

Journal of Pediatric Health Care

Source ISSN

0891-5245

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2024.11.008

Abstract

Children with medical complexity (CMC) and children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), compared with the general population, engage with the health care system at increased rates, at multiple life stages, and for a myriad of reasons (Berry et al., 2015). Operational definitions of CMC and CYSHCN are very limited, with the terms conflated and differentiated across the literature. Because of the lack of standardized definitions and general conflation of the two terms across the literature, CMC and CYSHCN will be used interchangeably for this review. Allshouse et al. (2018) defined CMC as a subset of CYSHCN “as those who have or are at increased risk for a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition and who also require health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally” (p. S196). Schindler et al. (2019) included in their definition, “CMC are a growing population with multifaceted and chronic medical conditions and are a subset of CYSHCN” (p. 166). The Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB), part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), has a core responsibility to monitor and improve services for CYSHCN and defines CYSHCN as those children “who have or are at increased risk for chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions requiring health and related services of a type or amount beyond that required by children generally” (Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau [HRSA], 2022a). Despite the clinical, research, and policy interest, a consensus definition for medical complexity has been elusive (Coller et al., 2016).

Comments

Accepted version. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, Vol. 39, No. 1 (January-February 2025): 140-146. DOI. © 2025 Elsevier. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Flasch, Elizabeth A., "Health Equity and Children With Medical Complexity/Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs: A Scoping Review" (2025). College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications. 1041.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/nursing_fac/1041