Pediatric Primary Care for the Family

Pediatric primary care for the family is a system of care in which the child receives health care in a primary care medical home, where the family forms [Page 813]an integral part of that care. The concept of a medical home was developed by a pediatrician, Cal Sia of Honolulu, and was adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1967 as a means of improving care and health outcomes for children with special health care needs. Today, the primary care medical home is the recommended standard of care for all persons. The medical home concept offers compassionate, comprehensive, around-the-clock, culturally sensitive, and team-oriented care.

In pediatrics, the primary health care provider considers the child in the context of the family in offering preventive and episodic ...