COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Parents: A Qualitative Study.

OBJECTIVES: Addressing parental/caregivers' coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy is critical to improving vaccine uptake in children. Common concerns have been previously reported through online surveys, but qualitative data from KII and focus groups may add much-needed context. Our objective was to examine factors impacting pediatric COVID-19 vaccine decision-making in Black, Spanish-speaking, and rural white parents/caregivers to inform the content design of a mobile application to improve pediatric COVID-19 vaccine uptake. METHODS: Parents/caregivers of children aged 2 to 17 years from groups disproportionately affected by COVID-19-related vaccine hesitancy (rural-dwelling persons of any race/ethnicity, urban Black persons, and Spanish-speaking persons) were included on the basis of their self-reported vaccine hesitancy and stratified by race/ethnicity. Those expressing vaccine acceptance or refusal participated in KII, and those expressing hesitancy in focus groups. Deidentified transcripts underwent discourse analysis and thematic analysis, both individually and as a collection. Themes were revised until coders reached consensus. RESULTS: Overall, 36 participants completed the study: 4 vaccine acceptors and 4 refusers via KIIs, and the remaining 28 participated in focus groups. Participants from all focus groups expressed that they would listen to their doctor for information about COVID-19 vaccines. Infertility was a common concern, along with general concerns about vaccines. Vaccine decision-making was informed by the amount of information available to parents/caregivers, including scientific research; possible positive and negative long-term effects; and potential impacts of vaccination on preexisting medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Parents/caregivers report numerous addressable vaccine concerns. Our results will inform specific, targeted interventions for improving COVID-19 vaccine confidence.

Changes in Sick Visits at an Academic Pediatric Primary Care Practice due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic decreased pediatric patient volumes; however, details regarding patterns of use within primary care sick visits are not well understood. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of sick visits in an academic primary care clinic from March-August 2019 and 2020 and recorded demographics and visit diagnoses. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare the two time periods. RESULTS: Patient age, gender, and insurance type were similar across years. In 2020, there were 1,868 sick visits (247 telehealth, 4%-36% of monthly visits) compared to 4,007 (0 telehealth) in 2019. The proportion of infectious diagnoses decreased (35% vs 48%); non-infectious diagnoses increased, including dermatological (25% vs 19%) and genitourinary/reproductive (9% vs. 6%) diagnoses.  Conclusion: Similar to pediatric emergency departments, we found decreased primary care sick visits. Telehealth increased in 2020 and varied with COVID-19 community prevalence. Visits for contagious illnesses decreased in 2020, likely related to mitigation measures.

Comparison of Resident and Faculty Screening for Social Determinants of Health in an Academic Pediatric Primary Care Practice.

BACKGROUND: Social determinants of health (SDH) have an important role in children's health and development and should be investigated in pediatric well child care. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of children aged 5-17 at well visits at an urban academic pediatric primary care practice was performed. Chi-square tests of independence and z-test for proportions were used to assess differences between residents and faculty SDH screening.  Results: Faculty screened for SDH more frequently than residents (P<0.05). Residents screened less frequently for food insecurity (P<0.05) and financial insecurity (P<0.05). Financial insecurity was endorsed less frequently by resident families (P<0.05), while school absence was endorsed more frequently by resident families (P<0.05). Referrals to the clinic's community resource desk did not differ between residents and faculty. CONCLUSIONS: Differences exist in screening and need between clinician groups. Despite these differences, there was no difference in community resource desk referrals.

Visits for Possible COVID-19 in a Pediatric Primary Care Practice Early in the Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Children with COVID-19 usually present with mild symptoms. We characterize visits with respect to symptoms and testing in the outpatient setting. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of sick visits in a pediatric academic primary care clinic April-August 2020. We included possible COVID-19 cases, or "persons under investigation" (PUIs), recording symptoms, positive contacts, and COVID-19 testing. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests for comparisons were used. RESULTS: 32% (476/1,474) of sick visits were PUIs; 20% were telehealth. Symptoms most commonly reported were fever, congestion/rhinorrhea and cough. 76% of PUIs were tested for COVID-19. Only presence of COVID-19 contacts and loss of taste/smell were significantly associated with positive tests (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Nearly a third of sick visits in an academic pediatric practice were seen for possible COVID-19 symptoms and most were tested. The majority with and without COVID-19 had fever, congestion and/or cough. Our findings suggest low thresholds for testing in children.

Work-Life Balance and Career Experiences of Part-Time Versus Full-Time Faculty at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

INTRODUCTION: Part-time faculty are an important part of the academic medical workforce, comprising 11-21% of faculty in some institutions. OBJECTIVE: To describe the part-time faculty experience at a single institution across four domains: work-life balance, work environment, leadership and advancement, and mentorship. METHODS: Faculty from the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University were invited to participate in an electronic survey. The authors compared responses between full-time and part-time faculty across the four domains.   Results: Survey response rate was 43% (437/1025). Of the 363 who answered the question about employment status, 333 (92%) were full-time and 30 (8%) were part-time. Part-time faculty were less likely to report forgoing personal activities for professional responsibilities, that work conflicted with personal life, that their division director took interest in their careers, and having a leadership position was important to them. CONCLUSION: Part-time and full-time faculty reported significant differences in perception of work impact on personal life, division director support, and desire for leadership positions.

Oral Health and Dental Clinic Attendance in Pediatric Refugees.

Purpose: Dental pathology is common among refugees. The purpose of this study was to identify pediatric refugees at increased risk of caries, poor clinic attendance, and need for urgent or surgical intervention under general anesthesia. Methods: A retrospective chart review of newly arrived pediatric refugees to the United States was performed. Data collected included demographics, caries risk, treatment urgency, missed appointments, and surgical intervention under general anesthesia. Bivariate analyses were used. Results: A total of 228 subjects were included, most from Africa (44.3 percent) or Asia (50.0 percent). More Asian refugees had a moderate or high caries risk (64 percent versus 44 percent) and need for urgent treatment (45.6 percent versus 30.7 percent) compared to Africans. Adolescents had more missed appointments, and more two- to five-year-olds needed surgical intervention under general anesthesia compared to other age groups. Conclusion: Asian refugees had a higher caries risk and need for urgent treatment. Younger children were more likely to require general anesthesia for surgical intervention, and adolescents were more likely to miss appointments. These findings can improve triage of pediatric refugees and allocation of resources.

Use of Pediatric Primary Care Telephone Advice by Families Whose Usual Language Spoken at Home Is Not English.

Language barriers and access to telephone advice have been shown to affect patient care. Less is known about access to telephone advice for families whose usual language is not English. The objective was to characterize the use of pediatric primary care telephone advice by families based on usual language spoken at home. A total of 277 surveys were completed by families presenting for sick visits at an academic pediatric primary care practice. No meaningful differences in the use of telephone advice when a child was sick were found by language category. Overall, 80.5% reported calling the clinic first when the clinic was open, but 77.6% went to the emergency department when the clinic closed. In conclusion, use of telephone advice was similar among families regardless of usual language. Most families reported going to the emergency department when the clinic was closed. More research is needed to identify barriers to the use of telephone advice, particularly after hours.

Use of Language Services for Telephone Advice by Limited English Proficiency Families in a Pediatric Primary Care Setting.

BACKGROUND: Families limited in English proficiency (LEP) often do not receive appropriate medical language services, resulting in health disparities. Little is known about the use and effectiveness of language services provided via telephone when families call for medical advice. OBJECTIVE: To characterize language service provision to LEP families calling for medical advice in a pediatric primary care setting. METHODS: A self-administered survey was given to parents of children presenting for sick visits at an urban academic pediatric primary care practice. RESULTS: 277 out of 300 surveys were completed, 92% in English and 8% in Spanish. 7% (19/271) of those who answered the language proficiency question reported LEP (spoke English "not well," or "not at all"). Among LEP parents, 68% calling for advice during clinic hours received appropriate language services (a trained interpreter or a bilingual provider). 53% received these services when calling after hours. CONCLUSIONS: Over half of LEP families seeking telephone advice from their pediatric primary care office received adequate language services. Future research should identify barriers to providing telephone language services to LEP families.

Health care utilization of refugee children after resettlement.

Refugee children can have significant health problems. Our objective was to describe health status and health care utilization of refugee children after resettlement. A retrospective chart review of refugee children was performed. Initial laboratory data was extracted. Primary care visits, emergency room visits, and subspecialty referrals in the first 15 months from arrival were recorded. The sample included 198 refugees, many with positive initial screening tests. After arrival, 21% had an emergency department visit, 40% had a primary care sick visit, and 71% had a primary care follow-up. Mean number of visits ranged from 0.3 for emergency department to 1.9 for follow-up. Fifty-seven percent were referred to at least one subspecialist. Refugee children had substantial disease burden at arrival. Most had primary care follow-up visits and subspecialty referral after resettlement. These visits were largely for problems identified on initial screening and for general pediatric illnesses.