Help for families after a missed well-child visit: texts versus community health workers
Comparing Technological and Relational Approaches to Support Families After a Missed Well Child Visit
This project compares text-message follow-ups and outreach by community health workers to help families of children 0–11 get back on track after missing a scheduled well-child visit.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11193995 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child misses a scheduled well-child visit, this project compares two ways clinics might reconnect families: automated text messages or outreach from a community health worker. Researchers will follow families for a full year to see which approach leads to more completed visits, timely immunizations and screenings, and fewer emergency visits. The work focuses on children aged 0–11 and pays special attention to groups with lower visit adherence, including Black and lower-income families. Study staff will also look at costs and timing to identify approaches clinics could use in routine care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Caregivers of children aged 0–11 who have recently missed a scheduled well-child visit at participating clinics, especially families from Black or lower-income communities.
Not a fit: Families who consistently attend all scheduled well-child visits or who receive care outside the participating clinics are unlikely to see direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could help more children receive timely preventive care, immunizations, and screenings after missed appointments.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier pilot work from this team showed text messages improved the chance of completing a visit within six weeks for some families, and community health worker programs have shown positive effects, but year-long head-to-head comparisons are limited.
Where this research is happening
Winston-Salem, United States
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences — Winston-Salem, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Debinski, Beata — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Debinski, Beata
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.