Resident Physician UT Houston Houston, Texas, United States
Background: Houston is an ethnically diverse metropolitan area in the United States with 28% foreign-born residents, at least 145 languages spoken, and more than 90 nations represented. Immigrant children are a fast growing demographic in the United States facing a multitude of healthcare disparities, including lower vaccination rates, increased exposure to transmissible infectious disease, and limited health literacy. They have unique health needs which should be addressed when they establish care with a primary pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics has an Immigrant Health Toolkit to provide guidance on screenings, preventative care, and resources for newly arrived immigrant children. However, our pediatric residency training program does not currently have any formalized training pertaining to this patient population. Objective: Our objectives are to assess pediatric residents’ knowledge and comfort level of healthcare topics related to immigrant children and provide education on topics within the AAP Immigrant Child Toolkit such as vaccines, infectious and nutritional screenings, and cultural practices. Design/Methods: The project is a prospective quality improvement study that consists of two lectures with two sets of surveys. Institutional IRB approval is currently being processed. The first lecture will focus on the introduction of the AAP Immigrant Child Health Toolkit and screening guidelines along with specific management related to nutritional deficiencies and complementary medicine. The second lecture will focus on vaccinations along with screening and management of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV, and helminths. Pre- and post-lecture surveys composed of Likert scales and board-type multiple choice questions will assess resident comfort and knowledge of these topics. The lectures and surveys will be administered between October 2023 and April 2024. The primary outcome is to assess a change in resident comfort and knowledge levels in regards to immigrant child health after educational lectures pertaining to these topics.
