Understanding Provider Needs Through ECHO Autism Utilization
Project Description:
The current crisis in access to autism specialists has amplified existing health equity issues in autism care, resulting in even longer delays in diagnosis and connection to treatment for children coming from under-resourced communities. The objective is to characterize the needs of providers seeking autism training and supports through analysis of de-identified care based-presentation data obtained through ECHO Autism clinics. Preliminary results based on de-identified case presentation data from 67 participants indicated utilization of our ECHO program was primarily driven by support needs specific to diagnostic clarification of autism and treatment plan development. At least 68% of cases involved public insurance. Additionally, community providers were offered an average of 6.8 recommendations per case. This data offset offers an ecologically valid analysis of provider needs and barriers to managing autism concerns, extending the literature which has been largely based on self-report survey data. Our data specifies primary support needs in autism related to identification/diagnostic clarification and outlining the next steps for families. Additionally, our outcome recommendation data highlights the complexities of needs in autism and critical role of multidisciplinary frameworks in autism, particularly for providers not practicing in multidisciplinary settings.
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees, Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
