Objective. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to improve primary care for immigrant and refugee children with failure to thrive (FTT) in a diverse clinic where elevated rates of FTT were noted. Methods. The QI intervention included a patient registry managed by a care coordinator, a manual to educate providers, and group visits for patients with shared primary language. Rates of clinical follow-up, growth parameters of children in group visits versus standard care, and provider confidence/satisfaction were evaluated. Results. Follow-up rates improved for all patients post-intervention (p=.002). There was no significant difference in growth parameters for group visit children (n=12) compared with standard care children (n=56). Providers (n=16) reported improved confidence/satisfaction post- intervention. Conclusion. This initiative employs an innovative model to improve primary care for children with FTT. Improved patient follow-up and provider confidence/satisfaction were observed. Patient numbers were too small to assess meaningful changes in growth parameters, necessitating further research. © Meharry Medical College.

Immigrant Children Failure to thrive Group visit quality improvement Refugee

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