A survey of physician consultations in an urban school district

A survey of physician encounters was conducted in a large, urban school district following the institution of consultative, rather than full-time, school physician services. Review of the encounter data over a six-month period revealed that: (a) the majority of consultations related to the problems of individual children; (b) there was a high prevalence of behavioral and psychosocial issues among the problems addressed; and (c) physicians were prominently involved in cross-disciplinary interactions. The survey provides an analysis of physician utilization under an emerging model of school health services in which physicians serve as consultant members of a medical and educational team.