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Special Considerations in the Pediatric Psychiatric Population.
Genevieve Santillanes1, Ruth S Gerson2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, 1200 North State Street, GH Room 1011, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
The Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|August 13, 2017
Summary
Emergency departments (EDs) can improve care for youth with psychiatric needs by implementing specific evaluation and management techniques. This includes addressing suicidal ideation, coexisting conditions, and behavioral challenges to enhance emergency psychiatric care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Healthcare Systems Improvement
Background:
- Emergency departments (EDs) frequently encounter youth with psychiatric and behavioral complaints.
- Many EDs lack specialized mental health staff to adequately manage these pediatric patients.
- There is a critical need for improved protocols in emergency care for children with mental health conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline techniques for EDs to enhance psychiatric assessment and medical clearance for children.
- To detail the evaluation and management of pediatric patients presenting with suicidal ideation.
- To discuss the assessment and treatment of youth exhibiting agitation and aggression in the ED setting.
Main Methods:
- Review of current best practices for emergency psychiatric evaluations in youth.
- Discussion of clinical approaches for managing coexisting medical and psychiatric conditions.
- Analysis of systemic factors impacting the quality of emergency care for psychiatrically ill youth.
Main Results:
- EDs can implement structured approaches for psychiatric assessment and medical clearance.
- Specific strategies exist for evaluating and managing suicidal ideation in pediatric patients.
- Effective methods for addressing agitation and aggression in youth within the ED are available.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced ED protocols can improve the care of youth with psychiatric needs.
- Systemic changes are necessary to optimize emergency psychiatric services for children.
- Improved collaboration and resources are vital for addressing the mental health crisis in pediatric emergency care.
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