Center of Excellence for Pediatric Quality Measurement (CEPQM) | Child CG-CAHPS Survey Adapted for Video Visits

Developing a Measure of Family Experience of In-Person and Video Visits

The Center of Excellence for Pediatric Quality Measurement (CEPQM) based at Boston Children’s Hospital has been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to adapt the Child CG-CAHPS survey for video visits. This adapted visit-based survey expands on the existing Child CG-CAHPS Survey instrument, which is used throughout the country for tracking and benchmarking patient experience in ambulatory care settings and is considered by most to be the gold standard in the field. This expanded survey instrument reflects the large-scale adoption of telemedicine and the resulting need for an instrument to measure family experience of both in-person and video visits. Developing a pediatric patient experience survey tool will provide clinics and health care systems with vital insights into how the pediatric health system is functioning and will guide future quality improvement and health care policy efforts.

Core Development Team

• Alyna Chien, MD, MS (Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School)
• Carol Cosenza, MSW (University of Massachusetts Boston)
• Floyd Fowler Jr., PhD (University of Massachusetts Boston)
• Lee Hargraves, PhD (University of Massachusetts Boston)
• Mark Schuster, MD, PhD (Kaiser Permanente, Boston Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School)
• Sara Toomey, MD, MPhil, MPH, MSc (Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School)

In accordance with all other CAHPS surveys, the Child CG-CAHPS survey adapted for video visits is following a rigorous development process that includes the following steps:

Literature and Measures Review

CEPQM conducted an extensive literature review of peer‐reviewed abstracts, research articles, and existing resources to ensure that the survey reflects the most up‐to-date research in the field of telehealth and telemedicine.

Focus Group Input (English and Spanish)

During February and March 2021, CEPQM conducted focus groups via Zoom video teleconferencing with participants from across the United States. Eight focus groups were conducted in English with parents of children who have had a recent telemedicine visit, and one group was conducted with adolescents who have had a recent telemedicine visit. In addition, two parent focus groups were conducted in Spanish.

Cognitive Interviews (English and Spanish)

CEPQM will begin cognitive testing of a draft version of the Child CG-CAHPS survey adapted for video visits in June 2021. Cognitive testing of the English- and Spanish-language versions will be initiated with parents from across the United States.

Field Testing (English and Spanish)

CEPQM is planning to conduct a national field test of the Child CG-CAHPS survey adapted for video visits in Summer/Fall 2021. CAHPS‐approved vendors will administer the survey to families whose children had a recent telemedicine visit with participating clinics and health systems.

Psychometric Analysis of National Field Test

CEPQM will analyze the data collected during field testing to refine the survey instrument, develop a case‐mix adjustment model, and finalize the measure specifications. The final version of the adapted Child CG-CAHPS survey will allow for the calculation of a global score with select composite measures.

Public Release

A final version of the Child CG-CAHPS survey adapted for video visits is planned for release in 2022.