The article below may contain offensive and/or incorrect content.
Introduction: Pediatricians are more likely than mental health (MH) specialists to manage children's MH concerns, and multiple factors complicate their abilities to do so adequately. Integrated care initiatives mitigate systems-related shortcomings that hamstring MH management in primary care. These initiatives, which improve outcomes for adults, are not widespread for youth. Integrated health care for children with MH concerns requires regular collaborative communication among pediatricians and MH specialists. The nature and quality of this communication in typical practice are not fully clear. Method: We conducted an anonymous pilot survey of 123 pediatric primary care providers from 41 states. We examined respondents' experiences with and attitudes about collaborative communication barriers and strategies. Results: Respondents estimated that 28% of their patients had MH concerns. Nearly 30% reported discomfort treating these concerns, 54% described MH care resources in their communities as inadequate, and 24% of pediatricians reported no communication at all with MH specialists about shared patients. Actual contact among communicators was less frequent than desired. Satisfaction with communication was low. Barriers to satisfactory communication included systems factors, inconsistent/nontimely responses from specialists, and the perception that MH specialists are unwilling to communicate. Discussion: Many pediatricians appear to view communication with MH specialists as less systematic than it ought to be. Efforts to address communication barriers may advance integrated care aims and mitigate pediatricians' perceptions of MH treatment resource inadequacy. As an important step toward integration, MH specialists should consider prioritizing systematic ongoing collaborative communication about shared patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)





Departments
Authors
Libraries
Current Articles
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Scientific Meeting » Workshop: Gene-based Therapeutics for Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Psychiatric Disorders
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Guiding gender-atypical kids through puberty
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Pandemic worsens child mental health crisis
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Being heard is more important to some people than following COVID-19 regulations
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Workaholics at a greater risk of depression
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Can kids have seasonal affective disorder?
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Video » NIMH Expert Dr. Krystal Lewis Discusses Managing Stress & Anxiety
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Scientific Meeting » NIMH Livestream Event: Managing Stress and Anxiety
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: A third of Americans don't see systemic racism as a barrier to good health
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: The challenge of pandemic fatigue is hitting people hard
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: How and why to take a break from the news
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: What brain imaging tells us about decluttering our minds
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Blog Post » Showing Support for Basic Researchers
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: How to reduce news-related stress for better mental health
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Five myths about loneliness
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: How to help someone struggling with suicidal ideation
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: Better sleep hygiene is crucial when you're anxious
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: How to remotivate kids for more distance learning
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: How to set goals you’ll actually achieve
- Article Correctness Is Author's Responsibility: To 'keep sharp' this year, keep learning