“I’d Rather Have a Book Than a Stethoscope”: Giving Kids a Literacy Boost at Well Child Check-ups
February 22, 2022
More children received books and literacy resources after UW Health embedded the evidence-based Reach Out and Read program into pediatric well visit workflows in Epic.
The American Academy of Pediatrics lists literacy promotion as an essential component of primary care and endorses programs such as Reach Out and Read (ROR), an evidence-based approach for increasing and improving at-home reading using primary care visits starting in infancy. Organizations including UW Health based in Madison, Wisconsin, integrate reading questions and literacy resources into note templates in Epic for well child visits.
“You can measure so many things when you watch how a child reacts to a book: gross and fine motor skills, linguistic development, vision, connection with the parent or guardian, and attitude towards books,” said Dipesh Navsaria, MPH, MSLIS, MD, medical director of Reach Out and Read Wisconsin and a pediatrician at UW Health. “If I had to choose, I’d rather have a book than a stethoscope when I walk into the exam room.”
