Lk. Grossman et al., CONTINUITY OF CARE BETWEEN OBSTETRICAL AND PEDIATRIC PREVENTIVE CARE - INDICATORS OF NONATTENDANCE AT THE FIRST WELL-CHILD APPOINTMENT, Clinical pediatrics, 35(11), 1996, pp. 563-569
This study evaluates appointment behavior for first well-child visits
for first-born children and identifies factors that target infants at
increased likelihood for missing their first pediatric appointment. Ti
mely appointments were not scheduled for 10.3% of newborns; 20.1% of t
hose scheduling did not keep the first appointment. Younger, less educ
ated mothers who did not remember when they had learned about well-bab
y care, and mothers of infants in the newborn intensive care unit were
unlikely to schedule the appointment; young mothers learning about we
ll care from friends or relatives and who chose a pediatrician without
a previous prenatal visit were more likely to miss the child's first
appointment. Prenatal pediatric visits as well as prenatal classes and
written materials may improve compliance with the first well-child ap
pointment.