Maternal perceptions of pediatric providers for children with chronic illnesses.
OBJECTIVE
To identify maternal perceptions of general and subspecialty pediatric providers of children with selected chronic illnesses.


METHODS
Cross-sectional analyses of survey data. Sample was recruited from eight specialty and four general pediatric practices in an urban setting. Interviews were conducted with mothers of 159 children with one of four chronic illnesses: sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and moderate/severe asthma. About 56% of the participants were white; 40% were African-American; 11% were receiving public assistance. The main outcome measures were maternal reports of which pediatric providers: are visited in the past year, are seen most frequently, have been seen over the longest period of time, relied on most, and know their family best. Rates of dissatisfaction with these providers are also reported.


RESULTS
Overall, more mothers reported that they relied on their general pediatric providers, saw them more frequently, and had longer relationships with them than their subspecialty pediatric providers. However, mothers were more satisfied with the care they received from their subspecialty providers than from their primary care providers.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings illustrate the complexity of maternal perceptions of the different roles that general and subspecialty pediatric providers play in the care of children with chronic illness.
Perry
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Center for Child Health and Mental Health Policy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA. dfp2@georgetown.edu
Ireys
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D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000628:therapy; D001249:Asthma / Q000628:therapy; D015142:Baltimore; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000628:therapy; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy; D019988:Children with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D000078329:Workforce