Related Experiment Videos

Seconds for care: evaluation of five health supervision visit topics using a new method

Lisa A Martin1, Adolfo J Ariza, J Scott Thomson

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.

The Journal of Pediatrics
|July 1, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Pediatricians spent limited time discussing key health topics during health supervision visits (HSVs). The Pediatric Health Supervision Timer Software (PHSTS) effectively tracked time and content for growth, diet, safety, physical activity, and tobacco use.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Preventive Medicine
  • Health Services Research

Background:

  • Health supervision visits (HSVs) are crucial for preventive care in children.
  • Assessing and counseling on topics like diet, safety, and physical activity is vital for child well-being.
  • Limited data exists on the actual time and content dedicated to these preventive topics during routine visits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the time and content dedicated to five key preventive health topics during pediatric health supervision visits.
  • To evaluate the feasibility of using new software for data collection in real-time clinical settings.

Main Methods:

  • The Pediatric Health Supervision Timer Software (PHSTS) was developed for handheld computers to record time and content during observed HSVs.
  • 185 visits for children aged 2-10 years were observed across 6 practices involving 28 clinicians.
  • Data on assessment and counseling for growth, diet, safety, physical activity, and tobacco were collected, alongside parent demographics.

Main Results:

  • The PHSTS method demonstrated high acceptance with an 89% participation rate.
  • Most visits included assessment/counseling for diet (95%), growth (84%), and safety (71%), but less frequently for physical activity (52%) and tobacco (43%).
  • Discussions were brief, with median times ranging from 3 seconds for tobacco to 42 seconds for diet; notably, only 20% of visits with a child living with a smoker included tobacco counseling.

Conclusions:

  • The PHSTS is a viable tool for accurately measuring time and content during HSVs.
  • Observations indicate that current health supervision visits allocate insufficient time to critical preventive health topics for children.
  • Further research and potential interventions are needed to enhance the delivery of preventive counseling during pediatric visits.
Abstract

Related Concept Videos

Nursing Evaluation01:15

Nursing Evaluation

The evaluation stage signals the end of the nursing process. The nurse gathers evaluative data to assess whether or not the patient has attained the expected results. Whereas the nurse collects data in the nursing assessment to identify the patient's health concerns, the evaluation stage data determines if the indicated health issues are resolved. Evaluative data collection includes two sections: the data acquired to evaluate patient outcomes and the time criteria for data collection.
Section...
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation01:20

Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation

Evaluation of the teaching process enables the nurse to determine if the patient's learning needs were met and if training was effective. If the expected outcomes are not met, the care plan is revised, and additional education or reinforcement is provided. Nurses can ask questions after the session or obtain feedback to assess the patient's understanding of the topic.
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning, patient...
Methods of Documentation IV: Focus Charting01:26

Methods of Documentation IV: Focus Charting

Focus Charting, also known as the focus charting system or "focus documentation," is a systematic documentation approach used in healthcare to organize patient information in medical records.
It typically involves three columns for recording information:
Nursing Assessment01:29

Nursing Assessment

The two sources for collecting information are primary and secondary. After gathering information, interpretation and validation help to complete the data. The purpose of assessment is to establish data with the initial information, to interpret data about the patient's perceived needs and health problems, and to respond to these problems identified.
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments and...
Assessment of apical radial pulse01:25

Assessment of apical radial pulse

Apical-Radial (A-R) Pulse Assessment
The A-R pulse assessment involves simultaneous evaluation of the apical and radial pulses. When the apical and radial pulse rates vary, this assessment helps identify a pulse deficit.
Pre-Procedural Preparation
Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting01:29

Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting

Documentation in long-term care facilities and home healthcare settings is crucial for ensuring continuous, coordinated, and comprehensive care for patients. Each setting has its specific documentation processes and tools:
Long-Term Care Facilities