Psychiatric and social work collaboration in pediatric chronic illness hospital

Area of Science:

• Pediatric mental health
• Social work in healthcare
• Child psychiatry consultation-liaison services

Background:

• Pediatric facilities increasingly serve as de facto mental health providers for children.
• The role of pediatric social workers in this capacity is often underacknowledged.
• Chronic illness in children presents unique mental health challenges requiring integrated care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review one year of child psychiatry consultations in a pediatric chronic illness hospital.
• To assess the quality of collaboration between social work, pediatric, and psychiatric services.
• To highlight the pivotal role of social workers in initiating psychiatric consultations.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 72 psychiatric consultations requested for medical patients over one year.
• Analysis focused on the source of consultation requests, particularly from social workers.
• Examination of organizational and theoretical aspects of consultation-liaison and social work services.

Main Results:

• Social workers initiated the majority of the 72 psychiatric consultations requested.
• Close collaboration among pediatricians, social workers, and child psychiatrists was observed.
• Consultations addressed various mental health needs within the pediatric chronic illness setting.

Conclusions:

• Integrated care models involving pediatricians, social workers, and child psychiatrists are effective.
• Strong collaboration ensures efficient and high-quality mental health care for chronically ill children.
• Social workers play a crucial role in facilitating access to psychiatric consultations and care continuity.