title: Communication between key stakeholders within a medical home: a qualitative study.
abstract: The objective of this study was to determine perceived benefits, detriments, and barriers to communication between pediatric providers and home visitors. The authors performed a cross-sectional, qualitative study consisting of 3 focus groups with paraprofessional home visitors (n=12), 6 with parents receiving home visiting (n=33), and 4 with pediatric providers whose patients received home visiting (n=19). Emerging themes were generated by an inductive analytic approach. Perceived benefits included home visitors assisting parents with communication, giving providers family information, and reinforcing providers' guidance. Detriments included parental concern of sharing confidential information and providers becoming aware of family issues for which they are unprepared to act. Barriers included parental consent, logistics of home visitor-provider communication, and providers' lack of knowledge about home visitor programs/roles. Greater coordination between home visitation programs and pediatric providers may strengthen home visiting services and reinforce advice and anticipatory guidance given by providers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. nelsoncatherine@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Catherine S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: S Darius
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Tandon
authors.forename: Anne K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Duggan
authors.forename: Janet R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Serwint