P2.124: Books as Clinical Tools: Enhancing Well Child Visits and Supporting Families

Background: In the recently revised policy statement and technical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics reinforces the importance of literacy promotion in pediatric care starting at birth and recognizes the Reach Out and Read (ROR) model as an evidence-based strategy to do this. ROR’s mission is to strengthen all families with young children through guidance from medical clinicians about nurturing relationships through shared reading. The ROR model uses books to help facilitate well child visits, model developmentally appropriate ways for parents to interact with their child around books, and encourage parents to create joyful and nurturing reading routines with their children.
Annual surveys show that ROR clinicians are giving out books and encouraging families to read with their children, but need more support to fully utilize the strengths of the ROR model by incorporating the book into all aspects of the well child visit. To address this, ROR has created a booklet on using books as a clinical tool, to increase high quality delivery of the ROR model and outline the ways in which books can be used facilitate well child visits and implement Bright Futures recommendations.

Project Description: Using both clinician and parent advocate input, this booklet evolved from a crosswalk of Bright Futures Recommendations and ROR to a visit-by-visit outline of how to incorporate books into the different aspects of the well-child visit including: introduction and history taking, modeling, developmental surveillance and the physical exam, promoting relational health, providing anticipatory guidance, and offering community resources. The booklet was developed by the ROR Curriculum Development Working Group, consisting of ROR clinicians (predominantly academic pediatricians) from across the US. It was then reviewed by a variety of ROR communities, including a resident advocacy group and the Reach Out and Read Colorado medical advisory board.

Discussion: This booklet is designed as a quick reference for busy clinicians to facilitate high quality delivery of the ROR model and Bright Futures guidelines within well-child visits. The booklet lines up with each well visit age and outlines specific ways to incorporate the book into an already busy visit. There are also links to short videos that demonstrate how to integrate books into the visit. It will be evaluated for impact and efficacy in participating ROR sites through the summer, and available for broader use by winter of 2025.

Conclusion: We have created an easy to use tool to harness the full potential of the proven and strengths-based ROR model in accomplishing Bright futures priorities. While this tool was developed with residency education in mind, it can also be used in new ROR clinics and as a tool to improve quality in existing clinics, thereby enhancing health and developmental promotion for young children and families.