Using the Web to Enable Primary Care Physicians to Improve Their Care of Children with Chronic Conditions

Chuck Norlin, Sharon Dennis, Susan Roberts University of Utah

ABSTRACT:

In order to provide optimal and comprehensive care for children with chronic conditions, primary care physicians must have current knowledge of medical information and relevant services and other resources related to numerous diagnoses. Most of these conditions are uncommon (with prevalence less than 1/3000) and complex, requiring care or consultation from multiple specialists and community-based services. The cumulative incidence of these diagnoses is between 13% and 18% of the child population. Busy physicians may opt out of providing comprehensive care to this very rewarding population because of the difficulties in obtaining and maintaining this knowledge base.

The Utah Collaborative Medical Home Project is developing the MedHome Portal to provide ready access to relevant and reliable information for physicians about chronic diseases in children and about community services for patients and their families. In addition, the Portal will provide tools to assist physicians in improving their practice related to the special needs of these children. Families and Educators are key collaborators on this project and the site is being developed to also meet many of their needs.

The MedHome Portal content is delivered dynamically using an Oracle database and the ColdFusion application server. Users may access the content with any Web browser. Local specialists and experts in several related fields, particularly subspecialty pediatrics, are developing content.

This model may be exportable to any community where dedicated professionals are willing to gather and maintain the relevant information. Much of the content would be applicable to any community, but the confidence of the primary care physician is likely enhanced by the knowledge that it was developed and/or approved by local specialists.

The Project is a collaboration among: the University of Utah Department of Pediatrics, the Knowledge Weavers of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, Children with Special Health Care Needs Bureau of the Utah Department of Health, Utah Family Voices, Utah Division of Health Care Financing (Medicaid), and the Early Intervention Research Institute of Utah State University. The Project is supported in part by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and Primary Children's Medical Center Foundation.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

Participants will see an organization and delivery of material aimed at ongoing education and practice improvement for primary care physicians, focused on a special population (children with special health care needs). They will understand the importance of offering widely varied types of information and doing so in limited quantities in order to meet the busy practitioner's needs.

Chuck Norlin, M.D. University of Utah Department of Pediatrics 100 N. Medical Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84113 Phone: 801-588-3648 Fax: 801-588-3642 Email: mailto:chuck.norlin@hsc.utah.edu

CO-AUTHORS: Sharon Dennis Susan Roberts Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84132 Phone: 801-585-3928 801-581-3031 Email: mailto:sdennis@lib.med.utah.edu mailto:sroberts@library.med.utah.edu Website: http://library.med.utah.edu/kw/