Management of High Acuity Patients in Pediatric Medical Settings: The Role of Consultation/Liaison Psychologists During the Growing Mental Health Crisis.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, consultation/liaison (C/L) psychologists had to drastically shift their practices to care for psychiatrically acute pediatric patients admitted to medical settings. The aim of the current study was to provide an updated state of the field surrounding these changes and their implications for clinical practice. Psychologists and psychology post-doctoral fellows completed an anonymous, 51-item survey distributed via a national professional organization listserv. The results review responses, by percentages, about C/L team composition and practice patterns, as they relate to suicide risk assessments, transfers to inpatient psychiatric and other levels of care, intervention for boarding patients, and disposition and safety planning. Thematically coded qualitative responses regarding impact and management of high acuity patients are also summarized. The state of the field outlined by this survey suggests an increase in C/L assessments and interventions delivered to pediatric patients with acute psychiatric needs, as well as a reverberating effects on provider wellness. Ensuring providers establish competency for this subset of patients is vital to the continued provision of optimal patient care and to sustained provider wellness. Considerations for the field are explored.

Comparison of Parental In-Person Visitation and Webcam Usage Patterns at a Single-Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Purpose: Barriers to parents visiting the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in person for infant bonding include socioeconomic status, distance from NICU, and having children at home. Use of NICU bedside webcam can increase access to parent-infant interaction. This study aimed to describe the pattern of webcam logins by parents, relationship of logins to in-person visitation, and maternal factors affecting usage. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data pertaining to parental webcam logins and in-person visitation, maternal screening for depression, anxiety, and stress, and family sociodemographics were collected from medical records. Relationships between chart variables and webcam or in-person visitation were measured using Pearson's correlation coefficient and Mann-Whitney U test, as applicable. Login data were obtained from weeks 2 through 5 of NICU stay of the infant, while depression, anxiety, and stress scores were obtained in the second week as standard procedure by a dedicated NICU social worker. Results: A total of 59 mother-baby dyads were included. Percentage of days visited and webcam logins decreased from week 2 to week 5. A higher rate of webcam login was documented for all parents on days they did not visit in person. Parents who lived ≥15 miles away (P=0.004) and those with government insurance (P=0.01) visited in person significantly less, although webcam logins showed no difference between groups. One negative correlation was found between percentage of in-person visits and DASS-21 depression score (P=0.03), but no such correlation was seen with webcam logins. Conclusions: Parents utilized NICU webcams to connect with their infants when unable to be at the bedside. Webcam use reduced visitation disparities known to be exacerbated by insurance status, home-to-hospital distance, and psychological distress.

Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Psychology: Insights and Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

COVID-19 has presented a variety of challenges to the provision of psychology services. In the first month of the pandemic, pediatric consultation-liaison (CL) psychologists reported significant changes in methodology of service delivery (Steinberg et al. in Clin Pract Pediatr Psychol 9:1, 2020). To better understand how and if these changes persisted, as well as other emerging trends, a follow-up study examined changes and challenges six months into the pandemic. An anonymous questionnaire assessed topics related to pediatric CL psychology including practice changes, perception of changes, and institutional support. The questionnaire was sent to the APA Society of Pediatric Society's special interest group listservs. Thirty responses were analyzed. Quantitative results showed participants' beliefs that telemedicine is equally efficacious to in-person services for outpatient psychological care, but less effective for inpatient care. Participants reported their perception of how institutions supported their safety, psychology trainee safety and training goals, and patient care. Qualitative results demonstrated that most psychologists experienced changes related to their dynamics with medical teams, which included changes in team efficiency, workload, transition, and team collaboration.

A systematic review of social determinants of health in pediatric organ transplant outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Equitable access to pediatric organ transplantation is critical, although risk factors negatively impacting pre- and post-transplant outcomes remain. No synthesis of the literature on SDoH within the pediatric organ transplant population has been conducted; thus, the current systematic review summarizes findings to date assessing SDoH in the evaluation, listing, and post-transplant periods. METHODS: Literature searches were conducted in Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases. RESULTS: Ninety-three studies were included based on pre-established criteria and were reviewed for main findings and study quality. Findings consistently demonstrated disparities in key transplant outcomes based on racial or ethnic identity, including timing and likelihood of transplant, and rates of rejection, graft failure, and mortality. Although less frequently assessed, variations in outcomes based on geography were also noted, while findings related to insurance or SES were inconsistent. CONCLUSION: This review underscores the persistence of SDoH and disparity in equitable transplant outcomes and discusses the importance of individual and systems-level change to reduce such disparities.

Adolescent health services and contraceptive use.

A pilot study of a health services program for never-pregnant high-school students, which stresses development of incentives for personal involvement in their own health care, reports a low incidence of unintended pregnancy among girls who requested contraceptives. The social and emotional characteristics of those who continued contraceptive use are compared with the small group who had uninteneded pregnancies.

PIP: In 1973, the Family Planning Services of the University of Pennsylvania developed a pilot project which encouraged high school students to manage their reproductive behavior over a period of time by providing them with educational and emotional incentives. Educational incentive was provided by a series of classroom discussions which emphasized attitudes, personal relationship, and family planning information. Emotional support was provided by encouraging students to request, for free, contraceptives and gynecological services at the hospital. Regular clinic visits were encouraged and dropouts were followed up. The study consisted of 161 never-pregnant high school black girls, 14-18 years old; the majority belonged to low-income families (62%). On clinic visits, students filled out emotional assessment forms. Results of the project showed that of the 161 students, only 10% had unintended pregnancies, and this was attributed to misunderstanding or misuse of the contraceptives. Also noted was the concern for regular clinic visits and support during the initial phase of contraceptive use. Older girls were also found to be more likely to have unintended pregnancies than younger girls. Results of the emotional assessment, using the SCL-90 and the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist, showed that the girls who got pregnant had the highest scores in depression and somatic dimensions than the rest of the study. The findings indicate that given the proper incentives, adolescents who become sexually active are capable of using contraceptives effectively. It is implied that although society does not sanction adolescent use of contraceptives, teenagers who are on the throes of sexual activity should at least be given the opportunity to protect themselves.