Treatment protocols in child and adolescent day treatment

Twenty treatment protocols in a day treatment program for children and adolescents have been developed by multidisciplinary groups based on a review of 200 patients. The protocols classify patients according to symptom clusters and provide standardized treatment plans for each classification. Each protocol contains a definition of the symptom cluster, a list of presenting problems, a list of other protocols to consider, admission guidelines, treatment options, and discharge criteria. The authors describe the developmental process for the protocols and present a clinical case example to illustrate their use. The application of treatment protocols in research, quality assurance, and teaching is briefly discussed.