Improving Response to Developmental Screening Through Integrated Behavioral Health in Pediatric Primary Care

Follow up care after an abnormal developmental screening may be challenging for families, particularly those from under resourced communities. In this study, we examined how an existing integrated primary care (IPC) co-located model could address the needs of families whose children faced developmental concerns by conducting qualitative interviews to inform the adaptation to include developmental services. Data from 51 caregivers of pediatric patients (4 months to 6 years old) were analyzed qualitatively and coded using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) in combination with grounded theory to identify themes. Following coding with the CFIR framework, a thematic analysis was conducted for overarching themes in the data with the gradual development of codes and categories in an inductive manner. The thematic analyses identified three major themes: components of effective referrals, barriers, and caregiver preferences. The current study provides in-depth, contextualized information about how current IPC models can be expanded to address developmental concerns.