Enhanced Child Psychiatry Access and Engagement via Integrated Care: A Collaborative Practice Model With Pediatrics

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Health Services Research
• Integrated Care Models

Background:

• Children at risk of mental health disparities often face barriers to accessing care.
• Integrated care models aim to bridge the gap between pediatric and mental health services.
• Family Support Specialists (FSSs) provide crucial community-based support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a collaborative-practice model (CPM) on mental health service use outcomes for children.
• To determine if integrated care and parent support improve treatment access and engagement for at-risk youth.
• To assess the effectiveness of CPM compared to usual care in a safety-net setting.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study compared 32 youths in a CPM intervention with 196 youths receiving usual care.
• Participants were children referred for outpatient child psychiatry evaluation.
• Propensity-score weighted logistic regression models were used to analyze differences in treatment access and engagement.

Main Results:

• Children in the CPM intervention had four times higher odds of accessing psychiatric evaluations (AOR=4.16, p<.01).
• Engagement in follow-up appointments was seven times greater for CPM participants (AOR=7.54, p<.01).
• Both access and engagement were significantly higher in the CPM group.

Conclusions:

• The collaborative-practice model (CPM) significantly enhances mental health service access and engagement for children.
• Integrated care, including community-based support, is a promising approach for addressing disparities in youth mental health treatment.
• Further investigation of CPM is warranted to improve treatment outcomes for children and families.