Evaluation of the pediatric-centered integrated care AOK Junior: protocol for a mixed-method study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health Services Research
• Health Economics
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• The AOK-Junior program provides enhanced primary care for children and adolescents (C&A) in Germany.
• It focuses on illness prevention, early detection, and maintaining C&A health.
• Program elements include integrated care, weight reduction, and additional medical checkups (U10, U11, J2).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of early disease detection within the AOK-Junior program.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.
• To identify potentials and barriers in program implementation.

Main Methods:

• Multi-level evaluation (structural, process, results quality) and health economic assessment.
• Collection of qualitative and quantitative primary data from C&A and pediatricians.
• Analysis of routine statutory health insurance data, employing cross-sectional and longitudinal designs.

Main Results:

• Approximately 560 pediatricians and 63,000 C&A are enrolled.
• The study provides insights into the extent to which secondary preventive measures facilitate early disease detection.
• Cost-effectiveness and implementation factors are under examination.

Conclusions:

• The evaluation informs the ongoing development of the AOK-Junior care program.
• Results are expected to guide recommendations for optimizing preventive healthcare for C&A.
• The study contributes to understanding the impact of integrated care models on child and adolescent health.