A Health Equity-Driven Approach to Primary Care for the Child Born Premature

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Health Equity

Background:

• One in ten US children are born premature, facing lifelong health and educational disparities.
• Existing high-risk follow-up programs lack primary care guidance, especially emphasizing health equity.
• Premature infants and their families have heightened medical and social needs requiring specialized care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a health equity-driven framework for primary care follow-up of premature children.
• To integrate a whole child, whole family approach into primary care for this population.
• To address critical health supervision topics within a health equity lens.

Main Methods:

• Grounded in recent best practice recommendations.
• Developed a framework based on five health equity best practices.
• Outlined four key primary care health supervision topics for premature children.

Main Results:

• Five health equity best practices identified: family partnership, care coordination, trauma-informed care, anti-racism, and social justice.
• Four key primary care topics: medical needs, development, social drivers of health, and family mental health.

Conclusions:

• A health equity-driven framework is essential for comprehensive primary care of premature children.
• Integrating best practices and addressing key topics supports improved outcomes for this vulnerable population.
• A whole child, whole family approach strengthens care coordination and addresses multifaceted needs.