Through four American Academy of Pediatrics quality improvement networks, thousands of pediatricians representing hundreds of institutions are working together to improve pediatric patient outcomes and care quality, writes Colleen Kraft, MD, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The networks include a primary care research network that tests interventions, hospital and primary care networks that test tools and implement clinical guidelines, and a network that spreads quality improvement strategies.
Primary care practices in the Virginia chapter of the academy's quality network finished a pilot funded by the CDC to encourage judicious antibiotic use, Dr. Kraft wrote. "Their aim is to change physician behavior to comply with CDC Core Elements and AAP prescribing recommendations. Initial results are encouraging," she said.
As part of the quality improvement innovation network, more than 30 primary care practices and their teams are using improvement science to lower diagnostic errors linked to pediatric elevated blood pressure, adolescent depression and laboratory testing. "This network continues to explore opportunities to improve the quality and value of care and outcomes for children and families by providing pediatricians with tools to implement best practices and evidenced-based recommendations," Dr. Kraft wrote.
Additionally, practices in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, formed the academy's fifth statewide asthma learning collaborative to improve care for pediatric asthma patients.
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