A Needs Assessment to Improve the Pediatric Experience and Increase the Pediatric Population at East Area Family Practice

Abstract

Recent years have demonstrated a decline in the number of children who have access to primary care services (Eden et al., 2020). Research also suggested those who are covered by Medicaid insurance are more likely to seek care from family practice providers rather than pediatricians (Wasserman et al., 2019). This is significant for East Area Family Practice (EAFP), where care is provided for individuals across the lifespan, and a significant number of patients have Medicaid coverage. A needs assessment was conducted in an effort to identify barriers to care, in addition to improvements EAFP can make to the experience of child visits. A survey was sent to current EAFP patients of childbearing age, and the parents/guardians of pediatric patients aged 0 to 12 years. Despite a low response rate, the findings provided points of interest for further investigation. Most respondents indicated they did not utilize EAFP for their children’s primary health care. Based on the recommendations for improvement from current patients and reasons they indicated for staying with the child’s current provider (non-EAFP), this survey identified considerations for further investigation, including vaccine and appointment availability.