[ press Release ]
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TURNS TO KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS FOR ACCURATE READ ON KEY TRENDS IN CHILDREN'S HEALTH
First report from National Poll on Children's Health sheds light on use of retail clinics
Menlo Park, CA; April 18, 2007: The University of Michigan's Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases has released the first of three reports due this spring from their C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. The University commissioned Knowledge Networks to conduct the research among members of KnowledgePanelSM—the only online Panel based on a projectable sample of the full U.S. population.
While other surveys have revealed that only 5-7% of the entire U.S. population had paid a visit to an in-store clinic, a major finding from this report indicates that 10% of children and 11% of adults have received care in a retail clinic; and in the future, 15% of children and 19% of adults expect to use this kind of facility.
Retail clinics are a growing trend across the U.S. and advertise care that is more convenient, quicker, and less expensive than care in traditional doctors' offices and emergency rooms. Further, the results indicate that more than half of parents who have taken their children to retail clinics report that the last visit was covered in full by insurance.
Among other findings, the report shows that 89% of retail clinic users have another source of ongoing care—8% lower than non-users of retail clinics. As use of retail clinics increases, it is likely that patients and physicians will face challenges of how best to coordinate care between retail clinic settings and more traditional health care providers.
For a copy of Reports from the National Poll on Children's Health, please visit www.chear.umich.edu.
Knowledge Networks conducted the survey in March 2007 to a randomly selected, stratified group of adults on KnowledgePanelSM who were eighteen years of age and older. The sample was comprised of 2,076 people, including those with and without children.
KnowledgePanelSM is unique in that all of its online members are recruited via a Random Digit Dial (RDD) telephone sample, and Internet access and hardware are provided to households that do not already have it. As a result, the sample is scientifically valid and yields accurate measurements of attitudes and behaviors. By contrast, opt-in panels are comprised of self-selected volunteers whose survey responses reflect only their attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors; results based on their responses are not projectable to any other population group.
Knowledge Networks delivers extraordinary quality and service to guide leaders in business, government and academia – uniquely bringing scientifically valid research to the online space through its probability-based, online KnowledgePanelSM. The company delivers superior study design, science, analysis, and panel maintenance, along with a commitment to close collaboration at every stage of the research process. Knowledge Networks leverages its expertise in brands, media, advertising, and public policy issues to provide insights that speak directly to clients' most important concerns.
The U-M C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health is funded by the Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the U-M Health System. As part of the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit in the U-M Division of General Pediatrics, the National Poll on Children's Health is designed to measure major health care issues and trends for U.S. children. For regular podcasts of polling results, go to www.med.umich.edu/podcast.
