The American Academy of Pediatrics released recommendations for the next president of the United States to prioritize and support to improve the lives of children. The Blueprint for Children: How the Next President Can Build a Foundation for a Healthy Future outlines the AAP's policy agenda, as well as specific recommendations for federal agencies and departments as to how they can support children. Included in these recommendations is a push for pediatric-specific EHRs.
The AAP's child health policy agenda is comprised of four key parts: healthy children, secure families, strong communities and leading nation.
Within its recommendations for the HHS to support its agenda, the AAP specifically asks the department to expand pediatric functionality of health IT. AAP says while pediatricians were early adopters of health IT and early participants in meaningful use, their participation has dropped, partly due to lagging pediatric functions in the technology.
"Children are not just little adults in that both they and their healthcare providers require different functionality in order to ensure their EHRs are accurate and contain useful information," reads the blueprint.
The AAP says just 8 percent of office-based EHRs have pediatric functionality, which increases the risk for errors. It suggests the ONC underscores efforts to make pediatric functionality in EHRs a priority.
For the full blueprint and to read the AAP's other recommendations, click here.
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