Researchers: Yona Amitai¹, Liora Valinsky²

Background: Primary health care (PHC) to children is provided by Pediatricians, Family Practitioners (FP) and General Practitioners (GPs). An Italian study showed lower PHC services utilization and cost and increased parents' satisfaction in children treated by pediatricians, compared with those treated by GPs. A French study showed reduction in prescriptions given by Pediatricians, compared with GPs. Evaluation of such data in Israel may improve optimization of planning future PHC services.

Objectives: Comparison of utilization and cost of PHC services and parents' satisfaction in children cared by pediatricians, FP and GPs.

Method: Data mining in Meuhedet Health Services, regarding 273,318 children < 15 years, treated in 2015 in PHC including 203,838 treated by pediatricians, 57,881 by GPs and 11,599 by FP, comparing utilization and cost of PHC services. A questionnaire of parents' satisfaction was done for 561 parents. Data were compared between groups.

Findings: Utilization of PHC services was higher in children cared by Pediatricians, infants cared by Pediatricians performed more routine blood counts, and FP prescribed less second-line antibiotics. Parents' satisfaction was higher regarding most components of the PHC services, but lower for services regarding prevention and social aspects. Satisfaction was higher for children cared by GPs, and lower for those cared by FP, compared with those cared by GPs and Pediatricians.

Conclusions: The study findings were opposed to the working hypothesis. Higher availability of PHC services in regions served by Pediatricians (such as central regions and higher social class population) may explain higher utilization of PHC services.

Recommendations: Further analysis and discussion of the study findings requires evaluation of PHC services availability for population in various regions.

Research end date: 04/2017