Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Screening During Well Child Checkups: A Rural Medical Track Quality Improvement Project

Background: Early identification of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is critical to long-term health, yet ACEs screening is rarely integrated into routine well-child checkups (WCCs). This quality improvement (QI) project explored the feasibility of implementing the Pediatric ACEs and Related Life-events Screener (PEARLS) during WCCs and assessed its educational value for a third-year medical student.

Methods: PEARLS forms were distributed during WCCs over a four-week rural clinical rotation. Implementation was guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, with the student leading each phase.

Results: Of 10 screeners distributed, 7 were completed and saved to patients’ records. The process did not disrupt the clinic’s workflow or interfere with the student’s responsibilities.

Conclusions: This project provided hands-on QI experience for the student and suggests that ACEs screening may be integrated into primary care with minimal disruption. Brief QI projects during clinical rotations can deepen students’ understanding of practice improvement and encourage meaningful contributions to clinical care.