Increasing Screening Rates for Comorbidities in Adolescents with Elevated Body Mass Index in Pediatric Primary Care.

Introduction: Adolescents with elevated body mass index are at increased risk for comorbidities such as dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Guideline-based screening can identify impacted patients early, allowing for lifestyle modifications and other treatments to improve long-term health. Unfortunately, only 20% of pediatric patients with obesity receive recommended screening. Methods: A multidisciplinary quality improvement team designed and implemented a project to improve comorbidity screening utilizing the Model for Improvement. Provider education and incentive, clinical decision support, and regular performance feedback were chosen as interventions. Screening rates were tracked on a statistical process control chart. Results: From March through December of 2022, 9547 pediatric patients aged 10 years and up with body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile were seen for preventive care visits. Screening rates for comorbidities increased from a baseline of 19.5%-58% and were sustained for over 3 months. Numerous patients at risk for chronic disease were identified. Conclusions: Evidence-based clinical decision support, along with provider education and engagement, can effectively increase screening rates for comorbidities in pediatric patients with obesity.

Utilizing Clinical Decision Support in the Treatment of Urinary Tract Infection across a Large Pediatric Primary Care Network.

Introduction: Cystitis and pyelonephritis are common bacterial infections in infants and children, and initial treatment is usually empirical. Antimicrobial stewardship advocates using narrow-spectrum antibiotics with consideration for local resistance patterns. Narrow-spectrum antibiotic use is critical in addressing the global issue of bacterial antimicrobial resistance, associated with approximately 5 million annual deaths. Methods: The antimicrobial stewardship committee developed a guideline for diagnosing and managing urinary tract infections and distributed it to all primary care providers. A standardized order set provided clinical decision support regarding appropriate first-line antibiotic therapy. A chief complaint of dysuria prompted the use of the order set. Prescription rates for the most common antimicrobials were tracked on a control chart. Results: From March 2018 through March 2020, there were 4,506 antibiotic prescriptions for urinary tract infections. Utilization of the recommended first-line therapy, cephalexin, increased from 27.5% to 74.8%. Over the same period, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, no longer recommended due to high local resistance, decreased from 31.8% to 8.1%. Providers have maintained these prescribing patterns since the conclusion of the project. Conclusion: Using clinical decision support as a standardized order set can sustainably improve the use of first-line antimicrobials for treating pediatric urinary tract infections.

Improving Lead Screening Rates in a Large Pediatric Primary Care Network.

Exposure to environmental lead continues to be a significant public health concern. Elevated blood lead levels can lead to neurocognitive delays and other adverse health outcomes. Unfortunately, screening rates in most communities remain low. This quality improvement project aimed to improve universal screening at 12 months of age and increase screening rates from 71% to 95%. The project team also aimed to improve risk-based screening at 24 months of age to increase screening rates from 41% to 70%. METHODS: This project utilized the Model for Improvement. After identifying key drivers, the team designed, tested, and adopted a series of interventions to improve lead screening. Dynamic order sets were developed that pre-checked the lead order, if appropriate, based on the patient's age, previous results, and risk factors. Sites received regular feedback on their screening rates. RESULTS: The percentage of patients receiving universal lead screening at their 12-month well visit increased from 71% to 96%. 70% of 2-year-olds were at risk for lead exposure based on ZIP code and insurance provider. Development of dynamic orders for patients at risk increased screening rates from 41% to 74% at the 24-month well visit. CONCLUSIONS: Utilization of clinical decision support tools within an electronic health record can significantly increase the percentage of children screened for lead toxicity. Similar tools could identify patients due for other screens or interventions, resulting in improved care and patient outcomes.