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Maternal perceptions of pediatric providers for children with chronic illnesses
1Center for Child Health and Mental Health Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA. dfp2@georgetown.edu
Insights
Mothers rely more on general pediatricians for children with chronic illnesses but are more satisfied with subspecialty care. This highlights complex perceptions of pediatric provider roles.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare delivery
- Chronic illness management
- Family-centered care
Background:
- Children with chronic illnesses often require care from both general pediatricians and subspecialists.
- Understanding maternal perceptions is crucial for optimizing care coordination and patient satisfaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate maternal perceptions of general versus subspecialty pediatric providers for children with chronic conditions.
- To identify differences in satisfaction and utilization of care between provider types.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey analysis of 159 mothers of children with sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, or asthma.
- Data collected on provider utilization, relationship duration, perceived reliance, and satisfaction.
- Participants recruited from urban pediatric practices.
Main Results:
- Mothers reported higher reliance, more frequent visits, and longer relationships with general pediatric providers.
- Conversely, mothers expressed greater satisfaction with care received from subspecialty providers.
- Dissatisfaction rates were also reported for both provider types.
Conclusions:
- Maternal perceptions reveal a complex interplay between general and subspecialty pediatric providers in managing chronic childhood illnesses.
- Findings underscore the need to address satisfaction disparities and enhance care integration.
Objective:
To identify maternal perceptions of general and subspecialty pediatric providers of children with selected chronic illnesses.
Method:
Cross-sectional analyses of survey data. Sample was recruited from eight specialty and four general pediatric practices in an urban setting. Interviews were conducted with mothers of 159 children with one of four chronic illnesses: sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and moderate/severe asthma. About 56% of the participants were white; 40% were African-American; 11% were receiving public assistance. The main outcome measures were maternal reports of which pediatric providers: are visited in the past year, are seen most frequently, have been seen over the longest period of time, relied on most, and know their family best. Rates of dissatisfaction with these providers are also reported.
Results:
Overall, more mothers reported that they relied on their general pediatric providers, saw them more frequently, and had longer relationships with them than their subspecialty pediatric providers. However, mothers were more satisfied with the care they received from their subspecialty providers than from their primary care providers.
Conclusions:
Our findings illustrate the complexity of maternal perceptions of the different roles that general and subspecialty pediatric providers play in the care of children with chronic illness.
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