Parental Preferences Regarding Healthcare Provider - School Communication

Care coordination is a vital role of the pediatrician and an important part of high-quality, cost-effective healthcare. Studies show healthcare providers and school staff find communication between each other to be beneficial. However, data are limited on the prevalence of and parental preference for healthcare provider and school staff communication (HPSC).

This cross-sectional study utilized data from the Voices of Child Health Parent Panel Survey. The survey was administered in English and Spanish to parents across Illinois between September-October 2024. Questions explored parent-reported prevalence and preferences for HPSC. Data were weighted to match demographic benchmarks of Illinois residents. Analyses included descriptive statistics to estimate prevalence and preferences, chi-square tests to examine demographic differences, and multivariable logistic regression to evaluate independent associations.

Of 1078 parents who completed the survey, 944 had at least one school-aged child and were included. Only 19.7% of parents indicated HPSC occurred in the last 12 months, but 35.5% of parents indicated they desired more frequent HPSC. HPSC prevalence differed across parent education level, household income, and school type, while no differences were found based on parent sex, race, or urbanicity. Desire for more frequent HPSC differed significantly across parent race and education.

Our findings suggest HPSC occurs at low rates, despite the need for school staff to be prepared to address children's health needs. This study suggests that parents support the expansion of HPSC, building on literature showing pediatricians and school staff find HPSC to be beneficial to their practice.