Clarifying the Predictive Value of Family-Centered Care and Shared Decision Making for Pediatric Healthcare Outcomes Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey

Objectives: To estimate (1) family-centered care (FCC) and shared decision-making (SDM) prevalence, and (2) associations of FCC and SDM (FCC/SDM) with health care outcomes among U.S. children. Data Source: The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC), a nationally representative survey of the noninstitutionalized, civilian population. Study Design: Secondary analyses of prospectively collected data on 15,764 U.S. children were conducted to examine FCC/SDM prevalence in year 1 and associations of FCC/SDM in year 1 with health services utilization, medical expenditures, and unmet health care needs in year 2. Data Collection/Extraction Methods: We combined four MEPS-HC longitudinal files from 2007 to 2011. Principal Findings: FCC/SDM prevalence in year 1 varied from 38.6 to 93.7 percent, and it was lower for composites with more stringent scoring approaches. FCC/SDM composites with stringent scoring approaches in year 1 were associated with reduced unmet needs in year 2. FCC/SDM, across all year 1 composites, was not associated with health services utilization or medical expenditures in year 2. FCC/SDM year 1 subcomponents describing consensus building and mutual agreement were consistently associated with unmet health care needs in year 2. Conclusions: FCC/SDM composites with stringent scoring approaches measuring consensus building and mutual agreement may have the greatest utility for pediatric health care quality improvement efforts.