Well-visit planner 2.0: A 2012 REACH challenge runner-up shares lessons on translation into practice

The Well-Visit Planner (WVP) was developed under an R40 grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration and was recognized in the 2012 Relevant Evidence to Advance Care and Health (REACH) Challenge. It is one of few existing IT driven, patient engagement tools featuring pre-well-child visit planning and integration of patient-reported data into the electronic health record prior to visits. Parents or guardians of young children ages 4 months to 3 years and pediatric practices across the nation were included in the study. A systematic assessment of requirements and opportunities led to continued development and dissemination of the timely WVP. The current study has explored potential collaborations, alternative funding mechanisms, various business models and continued simultaneous development and dissemination of IT driven, patient-centered quality improvement methods like the WVP. Online tools require real world resources to maintain, improve, and disseminate. In this process we have learned that taking a funded research tool to the next step of development work requires tenacity, collaboration and determination and is not sustainable unless new models to support research translation emerge. A plan for continuation and dissemination of research work is critical for planning to implement any research product that is developed via a traditional research funding mechanism. The availability of publicly accessible, online tools for pre-visit planning and integrating patient information into the electronic medical record has profound promise and implications for quality improvement in the delivery of well-child care.