Addressing the Multidimensional Aspects of Trauma in Emergency Department Boarding for Neurodiverse Youth

Psychiatric boarding in pediatric emergency departments is a predictable outcome of escalating psychiatric acuity and inadequate mental health services in hospital systems and the community at large. Guidelines are offered to support initiating treatments in nonpsychiatric hospital settings to reduce pediatric boarding. Treatments call for interdisciplinary approaches, care coordination, and addressing systemic disparities in access and quality of care. Telemental health interventions offer a promising means of reducing inequalities in access. Creating a crisis continuum of care will help minimize strict reliance on inpatient settings, which are increasingly challenging to access and only sometimes fully address the crises, even when used.