Practice Facilitation Improves Adolescent Reproductive Health Preventive Services in Primary Care

Area of Science:

• Adolescent health
• Reproductive health
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Adolescents face high rates of STIs and unintended pregnancies.
• Pediatricians can provide crucial preventive services but encounter barriers.
• National guidelines exist for adolescent reproductive health services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To build quality improvement (QI) capacity in pediatric practices.
• To enhance adherence to national guidelines for adolescent reproductive health preventive services.

Main Methods:

• A Midwestern accountable care organization used practice facilitation to support 6 pediatric practices.
• Practices focused on reproductive health assessments (RHAs) or etonogestrel implant insertions.
• QI specialists guided practices in developing driver diagrams and implementing interventions.

Main Results:

• Practices providing RHAs saw a rise from 0% to 65.8% completion within 18 months.
• Practices offering etonogestrel implants increased insertions from 0 to 8.5 monthly.
• These improvements were statistically significant (P < .001).

Conclusions:

• Practice facilitation effectively boosts adherence to adolescent reproductive health guidelines in primary care.
• Customized interventions and sustained support were key drivers of success.