Psychologists and Pediatricians in the Primary Care Sandbox: Communication is Key to Cooperative Play.

Recent literature, public policy, and funding opportunities call attention to the need for better increased integration of health and mental health care services in primary care settings so as to best meet the needs of children and families. There are many benefits to such integration, but pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) face multiple barriers to identifying and managing patients with mental health difficulties. One way to address this problem is through the integration of psychologists into primary care settings who can collaborate with PCPs to provide integrated behavioral health care to youth and families. However, there are challenges to collaboration, which include differences in training, professional cultures, and expectations held by professionals from various disciplines. Effective communication is a key component in supporting interprofessional collaboration between primary care providers and psychologists working in primary care settings. This paper reviews aspects of pediatric medicine culture, critical components of communication, and strategies to improve communication. Three case examples are presented in which some of these challenges have been successfully addressed. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Brief modular anxiety intervention for primary care: Hybrid I pilot randomized controlled trial of feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, and implementation potential.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is highly prevalent, but undertreated, in primary care. Brief, non-pharmacological interventions are needed. Modular Anxiety Skills Training (MAST), a cognitive-behavioral anxiety intervention, was developed for primary care and tailored for a Veteran sample (MAST-V). The purpose of this mixed methods pilot study was to evaluate MAST-V's feasibility, acceptability, and implementation potential, and preliminarily examine its effectiveness compared to Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) usual care. METHODS: This hybrid I randomized controlled trial (conducted 2019-2021) assigned 35 primary care patients (Mage = 47, 17 % female, 27 % racial/ethnic minority) with clinically significant anxiety symptoms to receive MAST-V or PCBH usual care. Participants completed validated measures of anxiety symptoms and functional impairment at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. RESULTS: Participants attended more sessions in MAST-V than usual care. After necessary adjustments to reduce session duration, MAST-V will likely fit within PCBH practice parameters. Participants in both conditions valued treatment, but treatment satisfaction, credibility, and therapeutic alliance were higher for MAST-V. Study therapists achieved high treatment fidelity and rated MAST-V as highly feasible, acceptable, and appropriate for PCBH. They identified ways to address potential barriers to implementation. MAST-V was more effective than usual care in reducing anxiety symptoms and impairment. LIMITATIONS: This was a small pilot study at a single site using study therapists. Results should be considered preliminary until replicated in a full-scale clinical trial. CONCLUSIONS: This brief modular anxiety intervention, which was designed with implementation in mind, may help to address the anxiety treatment gap in primary care.

Alcohol-associated liver disease and behavioral and medical cofactors: unmet needs and opportunities.

Chronic liver disease is a leading cause of death in the US and is often preventable. Rising burden, cost, and fatality due to liver disease are driven by intensified alcohol use in the US population and the contributions of comorbid conditions. This mini-review focuses on the topic of liver health in the context of chronic, behavioral cofactors of disease, using research-based examples from the Brown University Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation (CADRE). Our aim is to illustrate the current challenges and opportunities in clinical research addressing liver health in the context of behavioral and medical comorbidity and to highlight next steps in this crucial area of public health research and clinical care.