Factors Influencing Family Physicians’ Contribution to the Child Health Care Workforce

In Brief

Factors Influencing Family Physicians' Contribution to the Child Health Care Workforce

Andrew W. Bazemore , and colleagues

Background Family physicians are the usual source of care for more than one third of children in the United States, yet the absolute proportion of family physicians providing care to children declined from 78 percent in 2000 to 68 percent in 2009. Given the importance of ensuring access to primary care for all children, this study seeks to better understand the factors associated with the decline between 2006 and 2009, including demographic and geographic characteristics of family physicians who provide care to children.

What This Study Found Among 37,020 family physicians, the overall proportion providing care to children declined from 74 percent in 2006 and 2007 to 72 percent in 2008 and 68 percent in 2009. Younger age, female sex and rural location were all positive predictors of family physicians providing care for children. Family physicians practicing in a partnership were more likely to provide care to children than those in group practices, as were family physicians practicing in areas with a higher density of children, lower poverty or no pediatricians.

Implications

• Family physicians provide access to care for children in many rural, urban and underserved areas. Policy makers and leaders in the pediatric workforce concerned with providing care to children and families must help family physicians manage the burdens of increasing demands and incentives to care for adults.