484 - Talking about media: Pediatrician and youth-reported frequency of media screening during clinic visits

Publication Number: 4475.484

Kyle Palmberg, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States; Chelsea Olson, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Lily E. Stratman, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States; Nicole Owings-Fonner, American Academy of Pediatrics, washington, DC, United States; Megan A. Moreno, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States

Background: Technology and digital media (TDM) are used daily by a vast majority of youth and are associated with both negative and positive health outcomes. Pediatricians are in a unique position to screen youth for their TDM use during clinic visits. Little is known about pediatric TDM screening frequency during clinic visits from the perspective of pediatricians and youth.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate 1) pediatrician-reported screening frequency for TDM use, 2) youth-reported screening frequency for TDM use, and 3) rates of youth screening at-risk for problematic internet use (PIU).

Design/Methods: This online survey study included practicing U.S. pediatricians and youth recruited using word of mouth and community approaches. Pediatrician survey measures included years of practice, type of practice (general or subspecialty), and professional training (MD, DO). We asked pediatricians to report the percentage of clinic visits they screen for TDM use with response options in increments of 10%. Pediatricians reported their comfort and confidence levels of screening for TDM use on a 0-6 Likert scale. Youth survey measures included what kind of pediatric health provider they see (pediatrician, family practice, etc.), how frequently they see them (e.g. "once a year"), and the percentage of clinic visits they were screened by their pediatric provider for their TDM use in increments of 10%. Youth also responded to the Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale (PRIUSS-3).

Results: Participants included 95 pediatricians (Table 1) and 73 youth (Table 2) with an average age of 49.28 (SD = 10.78) and 15.42 (SD = 1.26) respectively. Both groups were mostly female (79.8% of pediatricians and 72.6% of youth). Pediatricians had an average of 19.56 (SD = 11.10) years of practicing. Pediatricians reported screening for TDM use in 78.7% of clinic visits, and reported high comfort (mean = 5.77, SD = 1.17) and confidence (mean = 5.68, SD = 1.17) in screening. However, youth reported screening in 42% of clinic visits (Figure 1). Further, 77.8% of youth screened at risk for PIU.

Conclusion(s): While pediatricians reported screening patients for TDM use in more than three-fourths of clinic visits, youth reported being screened in under half of clinic visits despite most participants screening "at risk" for PIU. Our findings could inspire primary care pediatricians to screen for TDM use more frequently with youth.

Pediatrician Participant Descriptive Information
This table displays the gender, type of practice, and training background of the pediatrician participants in this study.

Youth Participant Descriptive Information
This table displays the gender, type of healthcare provider seen, and the frequency of visits with healthcare professionals of the youth participants in this study.

Percentage of Clinic Visits Pediatricians Screen Youth for TDM Use: Self-report Data from Pediatricians and Youth
This graph shows the percentage of visits pediatricians reported screening youth for TDM use in clinic visits next to the percentage of visits youth reported being screened for TDM use in clinic visits. Pediatricians are displayed in the orange bars, and youth are displayed in the blue bars.