Anticipatory Guidance for Parents/Caregivers of Pediatric Patients Ages 0-12 Months

Anticipatory guidance is defined as proactive counseling for caregivers regarding various aspects of childcare and development. This project sought to improve the process and delivery of anticipatory guidance for infants aged 0-12 months at one rural pediatric primary care clinic. An extensive literature review was undertaken to determine current recommendations for anticipatory guidance topics pertinent to pediatric patients aged 0-12 months. Additional research explored the efficacy of various educational formats to provide teaching. Written educational materials were updated and edited to be visually appealing and understandable, and educational videos were created. Written materials and educational videos were provided to parents/caregivers of patients aged 0-12 months during well child visits before seeing the providers. Thirty-two surveys were collected from parents/caregivers to assess their perspectives on the new educational materials and process, and a focus group was held with clinic staff to gather feedback. The proposed goal of the project was to update written educational materials and create educational videos that would introduce a new format to provide anticipatory guidance. These improvements would allow parents and caregivers to view the educational videos prior to seeing the provider, which would allow for a more individualized patient-provider discussion. Overall, patient and clinic staff feedback indicate positive responses toward the new educational materials and process. Ensuring that educational materials are current, engaging, and easily accessible are important for optimizing parent/caregiver education, which leads to improved patient outcomes