Siblings of Children with Medical Complexity— A Vulnerable Population in the Medical Home

Existing research examines the effectiveness of medical home initiatives for Children with medical complexity (CMC), but not their siblings. This research sheds light on the care these siblings receive in the medical home. We assessed the preventative care status and medical home use of the siblings of CMC in four academic pediatric medical homes. We conducted an 18-month retrospective chart review of 236 siblings of CMC and 230 nonsiblings, matched by age and medical home. We found a statistically significant difference in the medical home use of siblings of CMC compared with non-siblings. They are not up to date on well-child care visits and are much less likely to be identified as children with special health care needs (CSHCN). This may lead to omission from registries and fewer interventions for outreach and support. Further attention is needed to develop methods that ensure appropriate care for this vulnerable population.