Pediatric Primary Care Provider Perspectives on Universal Suicide Screening

Area of Science:

• Pediatric primary care
• Mental health screening
• Adolescent health

Background:

• Youth mental health concerns are rising.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends universal suicide screening for ages 12+.
• Implementation of these recommendations by pediatric clinicians remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore pediatric clinicians' current practices regarding suicide screening.
• To understand pediatric clinicians' attitudes towards suicide screening recommendations.
• To identify barriers to implementing universal suicide screening in primary care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 18 community-based pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) in the St. Louis area.
• Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using deductive and inductive approaches.
• Participants self-reported providing mental health care to patients.

Main Results:

• PCPs generally agreed with the AAP suicide screening recommendations but expressed hesitancy.
• Key barriers identified included time constraints, lack of adequate training, and insufficient resources for follow-up care.
• PCPs showed optimism about learning and improving through quality improvement interventions.

Conclusions:

• Pediatric clinicians require additional support, including time-efficient strategies, resources, and training, to implement suicide screening effectively.
• Practice change support is crucial for successful integration of suicide screening recommendations.
• Addressing identified barriers is essential for improving adolescent mental health care in primary settings.