TY  - JOUR
T1  - DIscussion of illness during well-child care visits with parents of children with and without special health care needs
AU  - Van Cleave J, Heisler M, Devries JM, Joiner TA, Davis MM
Y1  - 2007/12/01
N1  - 10.1001/archpedi.161.12.1170
JO  - Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
SP  - 1170
EP  - 1175
VL  - 161
IS  - 12
N2  - Objectives 
    To compare parents of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) with other parents to determine parents' expectations and priorities for discussing concerns related to a child's acute or chronic illness at well-child care visits, the association of unmet expectations and priorities with satisfaction, and whether discussing illness displaces prevention topics.Design 
    Written, self-administered survey of parents at well-child care visits.Setting 
    Two community-based pediatric practices in suburban southeast Michigan.Participants 
    Five hundred parents with children aged 6 months to 12 years.Main Exposure 
    Having a special health care need.Main Outcome Measures 
    Expectations and priorities for discussing illness-related topics (chronic and acute illnesses, medications, specialist referrals, and effects of health on life overall), actual discussion regarding illness and preventive topics, and satisfaction.Results 
    Compared with parents of children without chronic conditions, parents of CSHCN were more likely to expect to discuss their child's illness (81% vs 92%, respectively; P < .001); 79% of parents of CSHCN ranked illness among their top 3 priorities (vs 53% of other parents [P < .001]). Parents of CSHCN reported discussing a mean of 3.2 illness topics, as compared with a mean of 2.2 illness topics for other parents (P < .001). Having more than 1 unmet expectation for discussing illness was associated with higher odds of lower satisfaction (for parents of CSHCN: odds ratio, 7.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.9-18.3; for other parents: odds ratio, 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.7-5.5). Discussing more illness topics was associated with discussing more preventive topics (P < .001).Conclusions 
    Discussing illness is frequently expected and highly prioritized at well-child care visits, particularly for parents of CSHCN. Unmet expectations are associated with lower satisfaction. Incorporating illness concerns at well-child care visits may improve chronic disease management.
SN  - 1072-4710
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archpedi.161.12.1170
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.161.12.1170
ER  -