The Time and Practice Challenges of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics: An Australian National Study

Objective: Developmental/behavioral diagnoses are common in pediatric practice but, until the impact on pediatricians of caring for these children is quantified, training and remuneration barriers are unlikely to be addressed. In a prospective audit of Australian office-based pediatricians, developmental-behavioral and medical consultations were examined regarding (1) consultation characteristics, (2) child and parent health, and (3) referrals and investigations ordered. Methods: In 2008, all 300 eligible members of the nationwide Australian Paediatric Research Network were invited to prospectively record standardized information for every consultation over 2 weeks or 100 consecutive patients, whichever came first. After coding all diagnoses, consultations were classified as developmental/behavioral, medical, or “mixed.” These groups were compared using simple 3-group comparisons (Aims 1 and 2) and logistic regression (Aim 3). Results: One hundred ninety-nine (66%) pediatricians recorded 15,360 diagnoses for 8,335 consultations (34% developmental/behavioral, 48% medical, and 18% mixed). Compared with medical patients, developmental/behavioral patients were older, more likely to be male, and required on average ∼9 minutes more time per consultation; self-reported parent health was worse; and referrals were more common (odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.9 to 2.5; p < .0001), but investigations less common (odds ratio 0.4, 95% confidence interval 0.3 to 0.4; p < .0001). Child health was worst in the “mixed” group. Conclusion: Developmental/behavioral consultations are common in pediatric office settings. They are time-consuming, often lead to referrals, and the worse health reported by their parents may pose additional challenges. Pediatric training and funding models must address these barriers if adequate and comprehensive care is to be accorded to these complex patients.