Going Paperless: Using Electronic Questionnaires to Improve the Quality of Well-Child Checkups.

Abstract

Objective: At our large, university-affiliated primary care clinic, we aimed to enhance the quality of well-child checkups (WCCs) to align with Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Our primary goal was to increase the rate of complete WCCs from 45.6% to 80% by April 2024. Our secondary aims were to ensure WCC improvement for all language groups and to increase referrals to 2 community partners.

Methods: A multidisciplinary team initiated a quality improvement project primarily focused on transitioning from paper-based to electronic questionnaires for patient screenings. Clinic processes were developed to assist families in completing questionnaires. The percentage of complete WCCs was the primary outcome measure. We defined complete WCCs as those that included note documentation of all required patient-reported elements. Our primary outcome measure was analyzed by using statistical process control charts to identify special cause variation.

Results: We reviewed 51 809 WCCs from July 2022 to April 2024, and the rate of complete WCCs improved from 45.6% to 84.7%. We significantly improved the rates for all measured aspects of WCCs as follows: 7 different common pediatric questionnaires and 7 routine WCC assessments. Referrals to 2 community nutrition and literacy resources increased. Despite large improvements across all language groups, disparities remained for patients who spoke languages other than English.

Conclusions: Transitioning to electronic questionnaires and revised clinic procedures led to more comprehensive WCCs and connected more families with community resources. Although progress was made across all language groups, we note ongoing challenges in eliminating disparities.