Assessing the need of military resources in a rural civilian pediatric clinic
Abstract
Military specific mental health services exist that military members qualify for but civilian providers may be unaware of these free programs. To improve access to military resources for military families in civilian clinics via provider education and implementation, a quality improvement project addressed, In military children in a civilian primary care clinic setting seeking mental health resources, does receiving military specific resources compared to civilian community resources facilitate quicker access over the span of a 6 month deployment? A cohort prospective pre/post test design was used to evaluate provider knowledge on military-connected resources and military pediatric patient mental health using a pediatric symptom checklist among 4 military-connected patients in a rural setting and 13 providers in an federally qualified health care system, or FQHC. The outcomes showed improvement and confidence in provider knowledge about military-connected patients and discussing military-specific resources with patients. This evidence-based intervention can be sustained in primary care clinics with an expansion to the other clinics within the healthcare system to improve the health of military families.
Degree
D.N.P.
Thesis Department
Rights
Open Access (fully available)
Copyright retained by author