IMPORTANCE: Little is known about the use of retail clinics (RCs) for pediatric care. OBJECTIVE: To describe the rationale and experiences of families with a pediatrician who also use RCs for pediatric care. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study with 19 pediatric practices in a Midwestern practice-based research network. PARTICIPANTS: Parents attending the pediatrician’s office. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Parents’ experience with RC care for their children. RESULTS: In total, 1484 parents (91.9% response rate) completed the self-administered paper survey. Parents (23.2%) who used the RC for pediatric care were more likely to report RC care for themselves (odds ratio, 7.79; 95% CI, 5.13-11.84), have more than 1 child (2.16; 1.55-3.02), and be older (1.05; 1.03-1.08). Seventy-four percent first considered going to the pediatrician but reported choosing the RC because the RC had more convenient hours (36.6%), no office appointment was available (25.2%), they did not want to bother the pediatrician after hours (15.4%), or they thought the problem was not serious enough (13.0%). Forty-seven percent of RC visits occurred between 8 am and 4 pm on weekdays or 8 am and noon on the weekend. Most commonly, visits were reportedly for acute upper respiratory tract illnesses (sore throat, 34.3%; ear infection, 26.2%; and colds or flu, 19.2%) and for physicals (13.1%). While 7.3% recalled the RC indicating it would inform the pediatrician of the visit, only 41.8% informed the pediatrician themselves. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Parents with established relationships with a pediatrician most often took their children to RCs for care because access was convenient. Almost half the visits occurred when the pediatricians’ offices were likely open.
IMPORTANCE: Little is known about the use of retail clinics (RCs) for pediatric care. OBJECTIVE: To describe the rationale and experiences of families with a pediatrician who also use RCs for pediatric care. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study with 19 pediatric practices in a Midwestern practice-based research network. PARTICIPANTS: Parents attending the pediatrician’s office. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Parents’ experience with RC care for their children. RESULTS: In total, 1484 parents (91.9% response rate) completed the self-administered paper survey. Parents (23.2%) who used the RC for pediatric care were more likely to report RC care for themselves (odds ratio, 7.79; 95% CI, 5.13-11.84), have more than 1 child (2.16; 1.55-3.02), and be older (1.05; 1.03-1.08). Seventy-four percent first considered going to the pediatrician but reported choosing the RC because the RC had more convenient hours (36.6%), no office appointment was available (25.2%), they did not want to bother the pediatrician after hours (15.4%), or they thought the problem was not serious enough (13.0%). Forty-seven percent of RC visits occurred between 8 am and 4 pm on weekdays or 8 am and noon on the weekend. Most commonly, visits were reportedly for acute upper respiratory tract illnesses (sore throat, 34.3%; ear infection, 26.2%; and colds or flu, 19.2%) and for physicals (13.1%). While 7.3% recalled the RC indicating it would inform the pediatrician of the visit, only 41.8% informed the pediatrician themselves. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Parents with established relationships with a pediatrician most often took their children to RCs for care because access was convenient. Almost half the visits occurred when the pediatricians’ offices were likely open.
Authors: Paul A Harris; Robert Taylor; Robert Thielke; Jonathon Payne; Nathaniel Gonzalez; Jose G Conde Journal: J Biomed Inform Date: 2008-09-30 Impact factor: 6.317
Authors: Ateev Mehrotra; Margaret C Wang; Judith R Lave; John L Adams; Elizabeth A McGlynn Journal: Health Aff (Millwood) Date: 2008 Sep-Oct Impact factor: 6.301
Authors: Ateev Mehrotra; Hangsheng Liu; John L Adams; Margaret C Wang; Judith R Lave; N Marcus Thygeson; Leif I Solberg; Elizabeth A McGlynn Journal: Ann Intern Med Date: 2009-09-01 Impact factor: 25.391