What Do Pediatric Primary Care Providers Think Are Important Research Questions? A Perspective From PROS Providers

Chien, Alyna; Coker, Tumaini; Choi, Lillian; Slora, Eric; Bodnar, Paul; Weiley, Victoria; Wasserman, Richard; Johnson, Julie

doi:10.1016/j.ambp.2006.07.002

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Volume 6, Issue 6 , Pages 352-355, 1 November 2006

What Do Pediatric Primary Care Providers Think Are Important Research Questions? A Perspective From PROS Providers

Alyna Chien, MD, MS
- Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill
- Drs Chien and Coker contributed equally to this work.
- Address correspondence to Alyna Chien, MD, MS, 5841 S Maryland Ave, MC 2007, Chicago, IL 60637
Tumaini Coker, MD, MBA
- Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill
- Drs Chien and Coker contributed equally to this work.
Lillian Choi, MD
- Pediatric Residency Program, Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill
Eric Slora, PhD
- Department of Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Ill
Paul Bodnar, MD
- Department of Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Ill
Victoria Weiley, MIS
- Department of Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Ill
Richard Wasserman, MD, MPH
- Department of Research, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Ill
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt
Julie Johnson, MSPH, PhD
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill
- American Board of Medical Specialties, Evanston, Ill

Received 21 April 2006; accepted 5 July 2006.

Objective

To describe what pediatric primary care providers involved in the Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) research network think are important yet inadequately addressed questions in pediatric primary care research.

Methods

A total of 1785 pediatric primary care providers in the PROS network were asked what they thought were important yet inadequately addressed areas of primary care research. We used a single, open-ended question in a mail survey. Written answers to this question were analyzed by qualitative methods to determine the main themes of interest to pediatric primary care providers.

Results

Overall survey response rate was 48.7%; the open-ended question yielded 1109 individual answers. Six lines of inquiry were identified as being important to these providers: (1) effective counseling techniques to use in anticipatory guidance; (2) strategies to prevent and treat obesity; (3) the effectiveness of well-child care; (4) ongoing management of patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; (5) the role of the primary care provider in caring for children with mental health needs; and (6) optimal organization of office practices.

Conclusions

The translation of research into practice may be improved by a better understanding of the needs and interests of those who see pediatric patients in the primary care setting.

Key words: pediatrics, primary care, translational research