Screening pediatric patients to determine need for child life services using the pediatric emotional safety screener

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare
• Psychosocial assessment
• Child psychology

Background:

• Negative healthcare experiences can lead to adverse psychosocial outcomes in children.
• Early identification of children at risk for distress is crucial for proactive support.
• Mitigating negative psychological sequelae requires effective screening tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener (PESS).
• To determine if PESS can reliably screen for psychosocial distress in pediatric patients.
• To assess the PESS's utility in identifying children needing child life support.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study involving 1643 pediatric patients across six healthcare settings.
• Utilized the Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener (PESS) for screening.
• Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLS) completed Psychosocial Risk Assessment in Pediatrics (PRAP) and assessed priority levels for support.

Main Results:

• The PESS demonstrated good internal consistency.
• PESS scores showed significant correlations with PRAP scores.
• PESS scores were also significantly correlated with CCLS priority level assessments.

Conclusions:

• The PESS is a promising standardized tool for screening pediatric patients' risk of distress.
• The PESS can help healthcare providers determine the need for Child Life Specialist (CLS) support.
• This screening method supports proactive intervention to improve psychosocial outcomes in pediatric healthcare.