Revisiting the intake policy at the mental child and adolescent clinics

The psychiatric intake interview is crucial for the delivery of quality care. Currently, the interview in most public clinics varies in nature. It often consists of a clinical face-to-face interview (structured/unstructured) with or without self-report questionnaires (systematic/non-systematic). By integrating structured computerized self-report questionnaires into the intake, the assessment process could be shortened, and diagnostic accuracy increased.

The study aims to assess whether adding structured computerized questionnaires will increase the efficacy of the intake process, as indicates by shortened intakes and a higher level of diagnostic accuracy, for children and adolescents in mental health clinics in Israel.

Patients (M_age = 8.62, SD_age = 1.86; 33.8% females) referred to the youth mental health clinic of Maccabi HaSharon district, were included in either the CIA group (Comprehensive Intake Assessment - with questionnaires) or IAU group (Intake as Usual - without questionnaires).

In terms of accuracy and time measurements, the CIA group had higher diagnostic accuracy and a shorter intake duration of 6.63 min, almost 15% of an intake meeting, compared to the IAU group. No differences were found in satisfaction and therapeutic alliance between the groups.

More accurate diagnosis is essential to tailor the appropriate treatment for the child's needs. Moreover, reducing intake time by a few minutes contributes significantly to the ongoing activities of mental health clinics. With this reduction, more intakes can be scheduled at a given time, optimizing the intake process, and reducing long wait times, which are increasing due to the growing demand for psychotherapeutic and psychiatric care.