AAP endorsed Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit : A new clinical tool

The new Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit consists of innovative provider and patient materials developed with a team of pediatricians to fill an unmet demand for practical, clinical materials on children's environmental health. Endorsed in 2006 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Toolkit was inspired by the conceptual framework of pediatrician Dr. T. Berry Brazelton's Touchpoints program, which identifies critical developmental stages, and opportunities for age-appropriate interventions to promote health and wellness. By recognizing these “teachable moments,” the routine well child exam becomes a powerful vehicle by which families can begin to understand the links between environment and health, and embrace the changes necessary to minimize exposure. It has been difficult to convince medical practitioners to incorporate environmental health guidance into daily practice; the Toolkit provides a unique way to encourage behavior change by making it easy to incorporate small but incremental steps. A Toolkit Training Program was developed to help providers employ the Toolkit in practice, and to further expand knowledge about the Toolkit. It consisted of half-day CME programs at medical institutions in five states; the format combined lectures, workshops and interactive sessions. The major goal was to introduce attendees to the Toolkit conceptual framework via a series of case studies utilizing the Toolkit materials. Training sessions as well as pilot use of materials was evaluated in a comprehensive process that included baseline and 3-month follow up surveys. This presentation will review the Toolkit materials and their value to clinical practice, and discuss findings from the evaluation.