Using an Innovative Model to Improve Performance of the Infant Hip Examination.

OBJECTIVES: Determine if a new teaching bundle targeting developmental dysplasia of the hip screening improved interns' examination skills across multiple pediatric residency programs. METHODS: This multicenter prospective cohort study included interns across 6 pediatric residency sites within the Academic Pediatric Association's Better Outcomes through Research for Newborns Network in 2022. Participants underwent a baseline hip examination assessment on models using a checklist derived from textbook descriptions of Galeazzi, Ortolani, and Barlow maneuvers before receiving a teaching bundle. Repeat testing occurred after instruction. Data were analyzed using t-test for continuous and χ2 test for categorical variables. Semistructured focus groups provided qualitative feedback regarding the teaching bundle. RESULTS: We enrolled 117 of 155 interns across 6 sites (76%) for participation in the teaching bundle. Only 2% of participants (n = 2) identified a positive Galeazzi sign at baseline, whereas 88% (n = 103, P < .001) did so on the postinstructional assessment. Although 27% of participants (n = 32) correctly identified a positive Barlow sign at baseline, 69% (n = 81, P < .001) did so on the postinstructional assessment. The ability to correctly detect a positive Ortolani sign increased from 22% (n = 26) to 92% (n = 108, P < .001). Fifteen interns participated in the semistructured focus groups, with resultant themes reinforcing the limited experience of the infant hip examination before this intervention and the positive impact of the teaching bundle. CONCLUSIONS: Most participants in this study did not have strong infant hip examination skills at entry into residency. A standardized teaching bundle significantly improved skills in examination technique and identifying abnormalities.

User-Centered Framework for Implementation of Technology (UFIT): Development of an Integrated Framework for Designing Clinical Decision Support Tools Packaged With Tailored Implementation Strategies.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health record-based clinical decision support (CDS) tools can facilitate the adoption of evidence into practice. Yet, the impact of CDS beyond single-site implementation is often limited by dissemination and implementation barriers related to site- and user-specific variation in workflows and behaviors. The translation of evidence-based CDS from initial development to implementation in heterogeneous environments requires a framework that assures careful balancing of fidelity to core functional elements with adaptations to ensure compatibility with new contexts. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop and apply a framework to guide tailoring and implementing CDS across diverse clinical settings. METHODS: In preparation for a multisite trial implementing CDS for pediatric overweight or obesity in primary care, we developed the User-Centered Framework for Implementation of Technology (UFIT), a framework that integrates principles from user-centered design (UCD), human factors/ergonomics theories, and implementation science to guide both CDS adaptation and tailoring of related implementation strategies. Our transdisciplinary study team conducted semistructured interviews with pediatric primary care clinicians and a diverse group of stakeholders from 3 health systems in the northeastern, midwestern, and southeastern United States to inform and apply the framework for our formative evaluation. RESULTS: We conducted 41 qualitative interviews with primary care clinicians (n=21) and other stakeholders (n=20). Our workflow analysis found 3 primary ways in which clinicians interact with the electronic health record during primary care well-child visits identifying opportunities for decision support. Additionally, we identified differences in practice patterns across contexts necessitating a multiprong design approach to support a variety of workflows, user needs, preferences, and implementation strategies. CONCLUSIONS: UFIT integrates theories and guidance from UCD, human factors/ergonomics, and implementation science to promote fit with local contexts for optimal outcomes. The components of UFIT were used to guide the development of Improving Pediatric Obesity Practice Using Prompts, an integrated package comprising CDS for obesity or overweight treatment with tailored implementation strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05627011; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05627011.

Addressing adverse social determinants of health in pediatric primary care: Study protocol for a hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial in two national pediatric practice-based research networks.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence linking social determinants of health (SDOH) to child health outcomes has prompted widespread recommendations for pediatricians to screen and refer for adverse SDOH at primary care visits. Yet there is little evidence to date demonstrating the effectiveness of practice-based SDOH screening and referral interventions on increasing family engagement with resources. This hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation trial aims to demonstrate the non-inferiority of a low-touch implementation strategy in order to facilitate dissemination of an existing SDOH screening and referral system (WE CARE) and demonstrate its effectiveness and sustainability in various pediatric practices. METHODS: We recruited eighteen pediatric practices in fourteen US states through two pediatric practice-based research networks. For this stepped wedge cluster RCT, practices serve as their own controls during the Usual Care phase and implement WE CARE during the intervention phase via one of two randomized implementation strategies: self-directed, pre-recorded webinar vs. study team-facilitated, live webinar. We collect data at practice, clinician/staff, and parent levels to assess outcomes grounded in the Proctor Conceptual Model of Implementation Research. We use generalized mixed effects models and differences in proportions to compare rates of resource referrals by implementation strategy, and intention-to-treat analysis to compare odds of engagement with new resources among families enrolled in the Usual Care vs. WE CARE phases. DISCUSSION: Findings from this trial may inform decisions about broader dissemination of SDOH screening systems into a diverse spectrum of pediatric practices across the US and potentially minimize the impact of adverse SDOH on children and families.

Clinician Perceptions on Literacy Promotion in Pediatric Continuity Clinics.

OBJECTIVE: We describe LP perceptions of pediatric and internal medicine/pediatrics residents and faculty and determine the relationship between LP training and perceptions of LP. Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a widely implemented evidence-based literacy promotion (LP) intervention. Recent data have shown that there is variability in both LP training for pediatric residents and implementation of ROR. However, little is known about the perceptions regarding LP and the relationship with training. METHODS: Faculty and residents at participating sites completed an anonymous online survey on LP perceptions and training. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: A total of 473 faculty and 1216 residents at 42 pediatric training programs participated. Faculty versus resident status was a significant predictor of almost all perception questions. Most faculty (65.3%) and residents (44.3%) completely agreed that it is the job of pediatricians to assess and encourage reading (P < .0001). Most faculty (69.6%) and residents (51.5%) completely agreed that LP is as important as advice about car seats, bike helmets, and "back-to-sleep" (P < .0001). More faculty (65.8%) than residents (46.6%) completely agreed with the statement "discussing sharing books with children at health supervision visits can be an effective early intervention strategy" (P < .0001). More faculty (34%) compared to residents (18.2%) completely agreed they felt confident modeling reading for parents during the visit (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Faculty status predicted most favorable LP perceptions, while continuity clinic training and learning in-clinic from others predicted some favorable LP perceptions.

Health Literacy Perceptions and Knowledge in Pediatric Continuity Practices.

BACKGROUND: Low health literacy affects one-third of adults in the United States and can have a negative effect on health behavior and outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine attitudes and knowledge of health literacy among pediatric residents and faculty in pediatric resident continuity clinics across the country. METHODS: An online mixed-methods survey was distributed to pediatric faculty and residents through the Academic Pediatric Association's Continuity Research Network. The 20-question survey included questions about the participants' health literacy knowledge and health literacy practices in continuity clinics, such as use of universal health literacy precautions. Categorical answer choices were dichotomized into positive and negative groupings and resident and faculty responses were compared using the Chi-squared test (significance p < .05). Qualitative data were analyzed using emergent coding and grounded theory to determine themes. KEY RESULTS: Responses were received from 402 individuals at 24 pediatric residency programs. Most participants agreed or strongly agreed that they could correctly identify participants with low health literacy (76% residents vs. 53% faculty). Only 19% of residents and 26% of faculty were familiar with universal health literacy precautions. Many residents and faculty had received no training in health literacy (37% residents vs. 38% faculty). Barriers and challenges around health literacy included time, language, limited training or resources, low literacy, disease mismanagement, and fixed misconceptions. CONCLUSION: Despite ample evidence in the literature to the contrary, most respondents believed they could correctly identify individuals with low health literacy. Additionally, most participants had not heard of universal health literacy precautions and were unaware of their usage in their practice setting. This is not consistent with current expert recommendations. These findings are troubling as they are from academic residency programs, indicating an educational deficit. These findings point toward a next step in health literacy education for pediatric residents. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022;6(1):e51-e60.] Plain Language Summary: Pediatric residents and faculty in continuity clinics were surveyed about their opinions, health literacy knowledge, ability, and practices in continuity clinics. Despite evidence to the contrary, most respondents believed they could correctly identify individuals with low health literacy and had not heard of universal health literacy precautions. These findings highlight the need for more health literacy education for pediatric residents.

Clinician Experiences With Reach Out and Read: An Exploratory Qualitative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced literacy and increased vocabulary related to Reach Out and Read (ROR) are well described. Less is known about clinicians' experience with the program. OBJECTIVE: Understand clinician experiences of implementing ROR. DESIGN/METHODS: This study was a collaboration between ROR and the Academic Pediatric Association's Continuity Research Network. Participants completed an anonymous online survey to evaluate Literacy Promotion activities and training, and were asked "What has been the most meaningful experience you have encountered with using ROR?" and "Is there anything else you would like to add?" Responses were evaluated by researchers and 4 themes were generated through discussion. All responses were divided and coded by researchers working in pairs and subsequently by all researchers until consensus was reached. Data were organized into themes. FINDINGS: Responses were provided by 592 (35%) participants. Qualitative analysis revealed benefits to participation in ROR within 4 themes: 1) Child/Family Impact (60%): "Seeing a child read for the first time" 2) Physician Impact (16%): "I... use the books... to connect with patients." 3) Impact on clinic practice (25%): "I... enjoy modeling for parents and use the books to assess... development" 4) Social Determinants of Health (2%): "The books... are an invaluable resource to our under-served population." CONCLUSION: Clinicians who implement ROR report positive impact on patients, families, and their own satisfaction and methods in practice. Clinicians value that the program addresses social determinants of health and facilitates developmental surveillance. Further study is needed to understand how clinician's perspectives affect and are affected by their experiences.

Literacy Promotion Training and Implementation in Pediatric Continuity Clinics.

BACKGROUND: Despite endorsement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are no national data on literacy promotion (LP) training and behaviors. OBJECTIVE: To describe LP training experiences and behaviors of pediatric and internal medicine/pediatrics residents and faculty nationally, and the association between LP training and behaviors. METHODS: The Academic Pediatric Association's Continuity Research Network and Reach Out and Read National Center sent an online survey to faculty and residents at participating Continuity Research Network clinics. Respondents were asked about LP training experiences and behaviors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: 473 faculty and 1216 residents at 42 institutions participated. More faculty than residents reported completing online Reach Out and Read training (63% vs 45%, P < .0001). More residents reported learning in clinic from others (92% vs 89%, P = .04). Training experiences did not differ otherwise. More faculty reported providing anticipatory guidance (87% vs 77%, P < .0001); modeling shared reading (69% vs 45%, P < .0001); and using books for developmental assessment (80% vs 62%, P < .0001). Both groups (97%) reported distributing books. The training modality most often endorsed as "very/extremely influential" was learning in clinic from others. Some LP behaviors were associated more strongly with online training while others were associated more strongly with in-person training. CONCLUSIONS: Online training and in-person training are both associated with high quality delivery of LP. Faculty members are more likely to have completed online training and to report engaging in the full range of recommended LP behaviors. These data have implications for LP training.

Membership Trends in the Academic Pediatric Association From 2009 to 2018.

OBJECTIVE: To describe changes in the racial and ethnic diversity of the membership of a national academic health professional organization, the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) from 2009 to 2018. METHODS: Administrative data from the APA was used for the study. Our sample was limited to dues-paying members of the APA with complete profile information. Data on race/ethnicity was collected by self-report and categorized as White, Hispanic, Black, Asian, or other. Gender was obtained by self-report (male/female). Membership type included physician, non-physician, or trainee and was provided by self-report. Age was calculated by subtracting the dues year from the year of birth. Descriptive statistics were used. Log-linear models were used to describe changes in membership race/ethnicity and expressed as relative risk. RESULTS: Three thousand one hundred and ninety-six unique individuals were included. Enrollment in the APA increased from 1429 in 2009 to 1803 in 2018. Females represented 68% of the sample. Six percent of the sample identified as Black, 5% as Hispanic, 12% as Asian, and 74% as White. Using log-linear models, the proportion of members identifying as Black increased from 4% to 6% (P < .001), Asian 8% to 13% (P < .001) and Hispanic increased 4% to 5% (P = .17). CONCLUSIONS: The APA has increased the representation of underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities in medicine within its membership. The APA and other academic pediatric professional organizations, can build on these current trends by continuing to invest in programming focused on increasing racial/ethnic minority groups underrepresented in medicine.

CORNET Card Study #1: Do You See What I See? Provider Confidence in Caring for Children With Special Health Care Needs.

OBJECTIVE: Understanding differences between trainee and faculty experience with and confidence caring for children with special health care needs (CSHCN) can inform pediatric resident education. METHODS: Residents and faculty across the continuity research network (CORNET) reported on a consecutive series of 5 primary care encounters. Respondents answered questions about visit characteristics, patient demographics, and applied the CSHCN Screener. Respondents also reported on how confident they felt addressing the patient's health care needs over time. We dichotomized confidence at "very confident" versus all other values. We used logistic regression to describe the correlates of provider confidence managing the patient's care. RESULTS: We collected data on 381 (74%) resident-patient and 137 (26%) attending-patient encounters. A higher proportion of attending encounters compared to resident encounters were with CSHCN (49% vs 39%, P < .05), including children with complex needs (17% vs 10%, P < .05). The odds of feeling "very confident" (AOR [95% CI]) was lower with increasing CSHCN score (0.61[0.51-0.72]) and was lower for resident versus attending encounters (0.39 [0.16-0.95]). Confidence was higher if the provider had previously seen that patient (2.07 [1.15-3.72]), and for well (2.50 [1.35-4.64]) or sick visits (3.18 [1.46-6.94]) (vs follow-up). Differences between residents and attending pediatricians regarding the relationship between confidence and visit characteristics for subsets of CSHCN are reported. CONCLUSION: All providers felt less confident caring for CSHCN; however, for certain needs, resident confidence did not increase with level of training. The data suggest potential educational/programmatic opportunities.

Screening for Social Determinants of Health in Pediatric Resident Continuity Clinic.

OBJECTIVE: Describe current practices in systematic screening for social determinants of health (SDH) in pediatric resident clinics enrolled in the Continuity Research Network (CORNET). METHODS: CORNET clinic directors were surveyed on demographics, barriers to screening, and screening practices for 15 SDH, including the screen source, timing of screening, process of administering the screen, and personnel involved in screening. Incidence rate ratios were tabulated to investigate relationships among screening practices and clinic staff composition. RESULTS: Clinic response rate was 41% (65/158). Clinics reported screening for between 0 and 15 SDH (median, 7). Maternal depression (86%), child educational problems (84%), and food insecurity (71%) were the items most commonly screened. Immigration status (17%), parental health literacy (19%), and parental incarceration (21%) were least commonly screened. Within 3 years, clinics plan to screen for 25% of SDH not currently being screened. Barriers to screening included lack of time (63%), resources (50%), and training (46%). CONCLUSIONS: Screening for SDH in our study population of CORNET clinics is common but has not been universally implemented. Screening practices are variable and reflect the complex nature of screening, including the heterogeneity of the patient populations, the clinic staff composition, and the SDH encountered.

A Learning Collaborative Model to Improve Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Rates in Primary Care.

OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates remain low, in part because of missed opportunities (MOs) for vaccination. We used a learning collaborative quality improvement (QI) model to assess the effect of a multicomponent intervention on reducing MOs. METHODS: Study design: pre-post using a QI intervention in 33 community practices and 14 pediatric continuity clinics over 9 months to reduce MOs for HPV vaccination at all visit types. MEASURES: outcome measures comprised baseline and postproject measures of 1) MOs (primary outcome), and 2) HPV vaccine initiation and completion. Process measures comprised monthly chart audits of MOs for HPV vaccination for performance feedback, monthly Plan-Do-Study-Act surveys and pre-post surveys about office systems. INTERVENTION: providers were trained at the start of the project on offering a strong recommendation for HPV vaccination. Practices implemented provider prompts and/or standing orders and/or reminder/recall if desired, and were provided monthly feedback on MOs to assess their progress. ANALYSES: chi-square tests were used to assess changes in office practices, and logistic regression used to assess changes in MOs according to visit type and overall, as well as HPV vaccine initiation and completion. RESULTS: MOs overall decreased (from 73% to 53% in community practices and 62% to 55% in continuity clinics; P < .01, and P = .03, respectively). HPV vaccine initiation increased for both genders in community practices (from 66% to 74% for female, 57% to 65% for male; P < .01), and for male patients in continuity clinics (from 68% to 75%; P = .05). Series completion increased overall in community practices (39% to 43%; P = .04) and for male patients in continuity clinics (from 36% to 44%; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Office systems changes using a QI model and multicomponent interventions decreased rates of MO for HPV vaccination and increased initiation and completion rates among some gender subgroups. A learning collaborative model provides an effective forum for practices to improve HPV vaccine delivery.