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PERIODIC SURVEY OF FELLOWS
American Academy of Pediatrics
Division of Health Policy Research

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Periodic Survey #54

Issues Surrounding Patient/Parent Education in Pediatric Offices

This survey explored issues surrounding consumer health education. Survey questions addressed pediatricians' preferred methods of educating parents/patients on health care, resources used for patient education, and interest in CME credit in patient education/communication. In addition, selected questions inquired about awareness of the AAP Media Matters campaign and frequency of discussing the effects of the media on child/adolescent health.

Periodic Survey #54 was an eight-page self-administered questionnaire sent to 1,612 active United States members of the AAP from April through September 2003. After an original and five follow-up mailings a total of 1020 questionnaires were received for a response rate of 63%. Analysis of items on preferred methods and resources of patient education are based on 951 pediatricians who provide direct patient care (DPC); analysis of items on patient counseling on media and participation in the Media Matters campaign are based on 749 pediatricians who provide health supervision.

METHODS OF PATIENT/PARENT EDUCATION:

  • Pediatricians think person-to-person counseling is the most effective method of communicating health care issues to patients and parents: on a scale where 1=very effective and 5=very ineffective, the mean score for effectiveness of this method of education is 1.6. Other effective methods of educating parents and patients are fact sheets (mean score of 2.3), lectures/group discussions (2.4), brochures (2.4), Internet/Web sites (2.5) and magazines (2.5). Less effective methods are videos (2.7), waiting room television (2.7), books (2.9%) and audiotapes (3.4).

  • 75% of pediatricians named person-to-person counseling as their preferred method for educating patients/parents on health care issues.

RESOURCES FOR PATIENT/PARENT EDUCATION - GROUP DISCUSSIONS:

  • Only 10% of pediatricians currently provide group discussions or well-child care group sessions either in their office or in the community as a means of educating parents.

  • Among those pediatricians (90% of DPC respondents) who do not currently provide group discussions or well-child care group sessions, 18% say they would conduct such sessions if there were training and presentation materials available for purchase from the AAP, and 37% are unsure.


PEDIATRICIANS' EDUCATIONAL NEEDS IN PATIENT/PARENT HEALTH EDUCATION:

  • Two-thirds of pediatricians (66%) say they would be interested in earning CME credit in parent/patient education/communication (ie, strategies, methods, etc, for health education, communication).
 
  • The most frequently named method of CME was computerized courses, either CD-ROM or on-line, (35% of interested pediatricians so indicating) and 19% preferred to learn via self-instructional materials such as PREP or PIR.

COUNSELING ON EFFECTS OF MEDIA:

  • Six out of 10 pediatricians (61%) say they almost always or often discuss the effects of media at health supervision visits with school-aged patients 6-11 years; 54% almost always/often discuss this topic with adolescents 12-16 years; and 50% almost always or often discuss media with parents of toddlers. Only 4 out of 10 pediatricians routinely discuss effects of media with teens >16 years and only 3 out of 10 discuss with parents of patients birth to 36 months.

PARTICIPATION IN MEDIA MATTERS:

  • About one-fourth of pediatricians (26%) who provide health supervision say they were aware of the Media Matters campaign prior to receiving the survey; 17% of these pediatricians say they have participated in the Media Matters campaign.

 

 

American Academy of Pediatrics, Division of Health Policy Research
Periodic Survey #54:  Executive Summary
"Issues Surrounding Patient/Parent Education in Pediatric Offices" , April 2004

Not for citation or quotation without permission of the author



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