[CBS News]
Parents appear to be skipping the pediatrician’s office in favor of retail clinics located in chain drugstores like CVS or Walgreens.
Some parents opt for the retail clinics for the convenience and the one-stop shopping experience of being able to buy medications they need right after seeing a medical professional. But some health groups have been questioning whether a child may be better served going to a pediatrician familiar with his or her medical history.
New research published July 22 in JAMA Pediatrics takes a closer look at this trend.
“While many patients and health insurance companies positively endorse RCs (retail chains), professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, have raised concerns about the quality of care provided at RCs and the effect of fragmenting care on patients’ overall health,” wrote the study’s authors, led by Dr. Jane Garbutt, an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.