Consensus Training Priorities for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric Mini-fellows.

Objective: Identify training priorities for primary care clinicians who commit to a minimum of 300 hours of training in developmental-behavioral pediatrics (DBP mini-fellows).

Methods: Eight mini-fellows from 13 DBP fellowship training programs funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration participated in a focus group discussion of training priorities (round 1) resulting in 105 potential priorities. One faculty member from each funded program (13 faculty) and all 14 mini-fellows in Spring, 2024 were invited to complete a survey to rate the importance of each of 105 suggested priorities on a 9-point Likert scale (round 2). Training priorities rated as 6 or higher by 60% of mini-fellows and/or faculty were retained for the round 3 survey, which included the mean score on the item from mini-fellows and faculty and asked the group to rate the items on the 9-point Likert scale considering the round 2 ratings. Items in round 3 with a median score of at least 7 and a 25th percentile score of at least 6 were categorized as consensus training priorities.

Results: In round 2, 68 of 105 items met criteria to advance. In round 3, 46 of these 68 qualified as consensus training priorities. Many priorities related to care for children with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and/or systems-based practice. Seven items not rated as consensus priorities by the full group, did meet criteria among mini-fellows.

Conclusion: This study identified high priority topics for training mini-fellows that can provide foundational guidance for developing mini-fellow training curricula.