Filling the GAPS: Description and Evaluation of a Primary Care Intervention for Children With Chronic Health Conditions

Does receiving care in a medical home reduce racial/ethnic disparities in ED visits among children with asthma in the United States?

Evidence has shown the implementation of medical home model improves care quality and outcomes. However, it is not clear whether receiving care from a medical home has any impact on racial/ethnic disparities in emergency department (ED) use by children with asthma. This study using the US National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, 2009-2010, estimated racial/ethnic disparities in ED use. Generalized liner models were used to examine factors associated with ED use. Racial/ethnic differences in ED use were attenuated after adjusting for socio-economic variables. Ratios of prevalence ratios were calculated to examine the effect modification of medical home on ED use associated with race/ethnicity. The adjusted prevalence ratio of ED use of the Black to non-Hispanic White was 1.51 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.36-1.67) with medical home and 1.35 (95% CI: 1.24-1.47) without medical home. Among those with care from a medical home Latino children had higher ED use compared with White children. There is no evidence that the self-reported care from a medical home narrows the gaps in ED use between non-Hispanic White and Black or Latino children with asthma.

Comparing medical homes for children with ADHD and asthma

OBJECTIVE

The aims of our study were, among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with children with asthma: 1) to assess characteristics associated with parent report of having a medical home for children with either of these 2 conditions; 2) to determine whether, controlling for these characteristics, the likelihood of having a medical home differs between children with ADHD and asthma; and 3) to identify the specific components of a medical home that are lacking for children with these 2 conditions.

METHODS

Cross-sectional analysis of the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs, 2005-2006 (NS-CSHCN) was used. The outcome variable was parent report of their child's practice having specific attributes of the medical home. We used multivariate logistic regression to test whether the likelihood of having a medical home and its components differed for children with ADHD in comparison to children with asthma.

RESULTS

The NS-CSHCN interviewed parents of 11 674 children with ADHD and 13 517 children with asthma aged between 4 to 17 years. Significantly fewer children with ADHD compared with children with asthma have a medical home (OR [odds ratio] 0.68; P < .001). Specifically, parents reported differences in receiving family-centered (OR 0.79; P < .001) and coordinated care (OR 0.59; P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Parents of children with ADHD report worse performance across key dimensions of primary care compared with parents of children with asthma. For primary care to be optimally effective in addressing the needs of children with ADHD, efforts to significantly strengthen these key dimensions are needed.

Does connection to primary care matter for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder?

OBJECTIVE

Whether high-quality primary care in the form of a medical home effectively meets the health care needs of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is unknown. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the percentage who report unmet health care need, (2) evaluate whether having a medical home is associated with lower risk for having unmet needs, and (3) compare the impact of having a medical home on unmet need for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with those with asthma.

METHODS

Cross-sectional analysis was conducted of the National Survey of Children's Health, 2003, a nationally representative sample. The primary outcome variable was parent-reported unmet health care need. Multivariate logistic regression tested the impact of having a medical home on unmet needs for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and asthma.

RESULTS

The National Survey of Children's Health interviewed parents of 6030 children who had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and 6133 children who had asthma and were between the ages of 6 and 17 years. A total of 16.8% of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder had at least 1 unmet need compared with 6.7% of children with asthma. Although the proportion of children with a medical home was comparable, children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were 3.5 times more likely to have an unmet need than were children with asthma. Children with asthma who have a medical home have less than half the likelihood of reporting an unmet need in comparison with those without a medical home; however, among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, having a medical home was not associated with decreased likelihood of reporting an unmet need.

CONCLUSIONS

Having a medical home is not associated with fewer unmet needs for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Our results suggest that high-quality primary care may not be as successful at meeting the needs of children with behavioral health conditions compared with those with physical conditions.

Parental perceptions of dental/oral health among children with and without special health care needs

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of parent-reported preventive dental care and better dental health in children with special health care needs (CSHCN) and to identify parent-reported dental problems, reasons for lack of preventive dental care, and factors associated with receiving preventive care and having better perceived dental health in CSHCN. A comparison group of children without special needs (CWOSN) was included.

METHODS

We analyzed the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health by using a sample of 17,001 CSHCN and a comparison group of CWOSN. Descriptive and between-group chi-square statistics were used to analyze child characteristics, parent-perceived dental problems, and reasons for lack of preventive dental care. Factors associated with receipt of preventive dental care and better reported dental health were examined using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Approximately 80% of CSHCN and 72% of CWOSN received preventive dental care. CSHCN parents reported more dental problems and fewer described their children as having good to excellent dental health compared to CWOSN, despite greater odds of having dental coverage and receiving preventive dental care. Disparities were evident in preventive dental care and dental health based on income, education, and insurance coverage.

CONCLUSIONS

Most parents of CSHCN and CWOSN report that their children receive preventive dental care and have good to excellent dental health; however, disparities in dental health and receipt of preventive dental care exist. Accessing care coordination by using the medical/dental home model, particularly for CSHCN, may alleviate the situation in which some of the most vulnerable children are experiencing the worst dental health.

Medical home, obesity, acute otitis media, and otitis media with effusion

Four areas of pediatric office practice are reviewed: the medical home concept, obesity, acute otitis media, and otitis media with effusion. The concept of the medical home in the care of children with special health care needs, its effect on health care outcomes, and its application to office practice are discussed. The epidemiology and causes of obesity are covered along with options for obesity screening and prevention. Diagnosis and therapy of acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion are reviewed along with discussion of recent practice guidelines for both entities.