Child Health Measurement Project

Rethinking Child Health Supervision (RCHS)

Upcoming Presentation

Rethinking Well Child Care. PAS/APPD 2008 Topic Symposium, May 5, 2008

Target Audience: Primary care pediatric clinicians, general academic faculty, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, healthcare researchers, health policy experts. Of note, the plan for this project was first presented and discussed before a large audience.

Objectives:

• To appreciate a range of viewpoints expressed by parents regarding well-child care – both experiences and desires
• To gain new ideas for providing well child care that is relevant to the child’s developmental needs and supportive of the family’s adaptation to the child
• To consider research, education, and advocacy efforts needed to improve developmental care and support for families
  
  
  

  Chairs: J. Lane Tanner, Children's Hospital and Research Center, Oakland, CA; and Martin T. Stein, University of California San Diego, CA
  
  
  
• This project developed from the growing debate over the call for “rethinking” how well child care (WCC) is conceptualized and provided. With Commonwealth Fund support, we have conducted a study of clinician and parent opinion regarding the most important priorities for WCC. Our study design has relied on qualitative methods – in-depth interviews and focus groups, as well as discussions with pediatric leadership groups and child development experts. Over 300 primary care pediatricians and other health professionals and 130 parents from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds have
  contributed to this national dialog - to help us learn how WCC can more effectively support the developmental needs of children and their families. In this Symposium, the results of our project will be presented in the initial hour, followed by panelist and audience responses re: clinical and research implications of the study.