Pediatrician Education and Maternal Compliance

Maiman, Lois

Abstract

The overall objective of the proposed research is to assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention aimed at pediatricians. The educational intervention includes information on the problem and determinants of noncompliance, and translates this information to compliance-enhancing strategies that the pediatrician can implement during the pediatrician-maternal interaction.
The specific aims are to evaluate the ability of the pediatrician-directed educational intervention to: 1) increase pediatrician knowledge and attitudes related to maternal compliance; 2) increased pediatrician implementation of compliance enhancing strategies in the pediatrician-maternal interaction; and 3) improve compliance of mothers with regimen for children with otitis media. Primary care community pediatricians (N = 75) and pediatric housestaff (N = 30) will be randomly assigned to either of two levels of pediatrician-directed education (Tutorial and Written Material or Written Material-Alone) or a control group. A post-intervention interview and questionnaire will provide assessments of compliance-oriented knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of pediatricians. These assessments will occur after both waves of mother-child pairs. For each pediatrician, a sample of children having otitis media will be randonly selected: 6 otitis media mother-child pairs for each community pediatrician and housestaff member. There will be an initial post-intervention mother-child observation wave (N = 540) and a follow-up post-intervention mother-child observation wave (N = 540), resulting in total N = 1,080. A post-intervention interview will provide assessments of mothers' compliance-oriented health beliefs and satisfaction with the pediatrician-maternal interaction. Compliance outcomes will be measured.