Pediatricians' perceptions of child psychiatry consultations

To ascertain pediatrician's expectations of child psychiatric consultants at our facility, a self-report questionnaire was sent to the 135 members of the Department of Pediatrics, The University of Florida Health Science Center, in 1991. The 73 respondents (54%) reported high rates of emotional problems and adverse family situations in their patients, and a majority said they used psychiatric consultation sometimes or often. Adolescents were the patient group most frequently referred, and behavioral problems were the most frequent reasons for consultation requests. Pediatricians most valued a timely response and accessibility from consultants. These results are discussed with reference to the further development of a consultation-liaison service within a child and adolescent psychiatry training program.