Table 2.

Outcomes and costs of high-quality pediatric subspecialty referrals

Domain	Definition
Desired Outcomes (Benefits)
Improved knowledge & understanding	Receipt of new information or improved understanding regarding diagnosis, prognosis, evaluation plan and/or treatment plan
Informed expectations	Receipt of information that helped parents/caregivers build appropriate expectations, often focused on issues of obtaining cure versus managing symptoms
Improved functional status or symptoms	Improvement in symptoms or functional status through new or modified treatment plan
Improved long-term health	Improvement or expected improvement in long-term health outcomes or life expectancy through subspecialty care
Decreased worry and/or anxiety	Alleviation of worry or anxiety through information received or through ability to contact subspecialist with questions or changes in status
Costs (Harms)
Missed school	Time spent out of school for child for visit
Missed work	Time spent away from work by caregiver for visit, including travel time and wait time
Travel burden/travel costs	Time and money spent traveling to appointment
Financial costs	Out-of-pocket costs for family