Welcoming Feedback: Using Family Experience to Design a Pediatric Weight Management Program

OBJECTIVE: To describe an approach using principles of experience-based codesign (EBCD) and quality improvement (QI) to integrate family experience into the development of a pediatric weight management program. METHODS: Clinic development occurred in 3 plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycles that were driven by family experience data. During these cycles, families were engaged in feedback sessions that informed program development. Staff reflected on feedback and designed and tested changes that would improve service delivery. RESULTS: The first PDSA cycle resulted in the fundamental program parameters and a formalized patient engagement strategy. The second cycle focused on pilot programming, and feedback was used to develop the structured group program. During the third cycle, feedback sessions were embedded into the structured group programs. Program changes included focusing on health rather than weight-based outcomes, adjusting the timing of program offerings, increasing experiential learning opportunities, and providing more opportunities for peer support. CONCLUSIONS: Both EBCD and QI methodologies informed the process of family engagement and program development. This pragmatic approach might be useful for the development of other family-centered pediatric programs.