Current PROS Strategic Plan

Goal 1: Strengthen AAP PROS’ Impact on Health for Infants, Children, & Adolescents by Building on Our Knowledge Base Through Research

Objectives

1.1 Move study findings to real-life practice workflows (i.e. translate research discoveries to improve child health).

1.2 Reach out to AAP Chapters for support on study participant recruitment.

1.3 Reach out to external groups for support on study participant recruitment (e.g. National Association of Community Health Centers, OCHIN).

1.4 Scale up AAP PROS recruitment innovation with new and creative communication channels and messaging.

1.5 Collaborate with AAP Chapters and external groups on implementing best practices to maximize the health of all children.

Goal 2: Enrich & Promote AAP PROS’ Value & Engagement

Objectives

2.1 Articulate a brief and concrete AAP PROS value proposition and communicate it early and often — this applies to both AAP PROS as a whole as well as to each individual AAP PROS study or project.

2.2  Create tools and content to promote AAP PROS.

2.3  Prepare and deploy existing AAP PROS Leaders and Coordinators to “sell” AAP PROS.

2.4  Offer accredited MOC / CME credits to clinicians in AAP PROS studies when possible.

2.5 Explore ways to give AAP PROS work / projects a stamp of quality approval for involved clinicians / practices.

Goal 3: Broaden & Diversify Leadership Pathways for Primary Care Pediatricians Within AAP PROS

Objectives

3.1 Take action on renewing the next generation of AAP PROS Leaders and Coordinators by serving their evolving needs.

3.2 Broaden the range of AAP PROS’ Steering Committee members and Coordinators.

3.3 Improve AAP PROS Steering Committee members’ and Coordinators’ knowledge of the structure and operations of AAP PROS and opportunities for leadership and engagement.

3.4 Optimize AAP PROS’ Steering Committee and Coordinators with routine and mutual reflection on appropriate roles, responsibilities, and expectations.

Goal 4: Support AAP PROS’ Relationships & Interactions Within the AAP & Through External Partnerships

Objectives

4.1 Leverage the AAP to expand AAP PROS’ reach.

4.2 Find interconnections between AAP PROS, the AAP, and other external entities.

4.3 Acquire external expertise for various AAP PROS purposes (e.g. behavioral economist on effective ways to motivate practices and families to participate in studies).

4.4 Involve those outside of AAP PROS to lend fresh perspectives (e.g. representatives of practice-based research networks like CORNET and NMA PedsNet as well as others, grant writing experts, development experts, project planning and implementation experts, involving the non-medical community in PROS studies).

Goal 5: Enhance AAP PROS’ Communication of Evidence-based Results Sharing with Study Participants (Practices / Families) & Other Stakeholders

Objectives

5.1 Ensure that AAP PROS’ digital and other platforms are user-focused, user-friendly, and data-informed.

5.2 Communicate regularly on AAP PROS updates with interested stakeholders.

5.3 Disseminate AAP PROS research findings to study participants and interested stakeholders (e.g. those in the non-medical community).

5.4 Disseminate AAP PROS-developed and research-tested educational products and resources to study participants and interested stakeholders so that products and resources are implemented and used.

Goal 6: Bring to the Fore Financial Lenses & Approaches to AAP PROS

Objectives

6.1 Diversify AAP PROS funding sources.

6.2 As one part of an updated approach to PROS studies, consider AAP PROS studies with a financial lens — show potential funders and study participants the potential financial return on investment for their engagement.

6.3 Flip the partnership direction — AAP PROS can serve as an expert consultant to its own clients.

Challenges & Opportunities Facing AAP PROS Today

This Strategic Plan Summary for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) network is set in the broader context of environmental realities.

At a time of transition and transformation in pediatrics as well as broader health care, it’s important for AAP PROS to clearly define and hone its future direction. AAP PROS finds itself at a strategic inflection point. Among multiple factors needed to continue PROS’ mission, a top priority is to articulate PROS’ value proposition.

AAP PROS has many commendable assets. These include an almost 40-year history of unique collaborations between practitioners and researchers, a successful funding rate, an excellent reputation undergirded by rigorous science on timely topics, the ability to harness technology such as electronic health records from multiple systems, and many contributions to the pediatrics knowledge base and guidelines. At the same time, solo and small group independent practices that have traditionally joined AAP PROS studies are disappearing as pediatricians become employees of hospitals and health systems instead of practice owners. Pediatricians are increasingly asked to do administrative tasks and have less decision-making power, all in the context of understaffing and overwork. Newly trained pediatricians are prioritizing work / family balance and part-time work, diminishing time left for additional activities like research. Many of our current AAP PROS Steering Committee members and Chapter Coordinators are nearing retirement, exiting AAP PROS for other reasons, or are less engaged in AAP PROS than in the past.

An AAP PROS strategic planning data gathering process helped clarify key trends shaping the future of AAP PROS and the imperative for AAP PROS to respond. This Strategic Plan Summary aims to be forward-looking, building on the strengths and addressing the challenges outlined above, while also understanding the increasing heterogeneity of families in AAP PROS studies, the need for primary care pediatricians to function in an evolving array of health delivery systems, and demographic changes within the profession of pediatrics.

This Strategic Plan Summary plays on AAP PROS’ strengths to outline what we must do to achieve a thriving and engaged AAP PROS network that reflects the current pediatric care landscape.