Date Approved

4-6-2026

Graduate Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Nursing (D.N.P.)

Degree Program

College of Nursing

First Advisor

Kellie Riley, DNP, FNP-BC, CHSE

Second Advisor

Clay Reeves, DNP, APRN, FNP-C

Academic Year

2025/2026

Abstract

Background: Well-child visits are essential to pediatric preventive care because they support immunizations, developmental screening, anticipatory guidance, and early identification of health concerns (Abdus & Selden, 2022; Theunissen et al., 2022). Despite their importance, engagement in recommended visits remains inconsistent across healthcare systems.

Purpose: This program evaluation examined the impact of a digital outreach initiative on well-child visit engagement among children and adolescents within a Midwestern faith-based healthcare organization.

Methods: A pre–post evaluation design was used with de-identified electronic health record data from periods before and after implementation of the initiative. Outcomes included patient enrollment, scheduled visits, completed visits, no-show rates, cancellation rates, and visit completion.

Results: The initiative was associated with expanded program reach and a significant reduction in no-show rates, suggesting improved appointment engagement behaviors. However, increased appointment cancellations offset these gains, and visit completion remained stable.

Conclusions: Digital outreach functioned as an effective cue to action and may improve engagement behaviors, but it is insufficient as a stand-alone strategy to overcome structural barriers affecting preventive care attendance. Findings support combining digital outreach with care coordination, flexible access pathways, and family-centered support to strengthen pediatric preventive care outcomes (Angier et al., 2022; Wolf et al., 2021).

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