Utilization and Outcomes of Direct Consultation in a Child Psychiatry Access Program

The high prevalence of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders in the United States, coupled with the severe and pervasive shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists, has led 46 states and territories to launch programs providing child psychiatry consultation to pediatricians. Although these programs aim to increase access to psychiatric expertise, evidence of favorable program outcomes beyond user satisfaction has been limited. Findings from the authors' child psychiatry consultation program suggest that such programs may enable pediatricians to manage most cases referred for consultation, thereby extending the behavioral health workforce to the primary care setting.