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A Review of Telepsychiatry for Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Setting

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to summarize factors contributing to the current state of pediatric mental health access in ED settings and synthesize the existing literature on the use of telepsychiatry to extend access to care, with particular focus on feasibility and sustainability.

Recent Findings

Children are presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with mental health concerns at an increasing rate, while ED capacity to treat psychiatric needs in children remains insufficient. This growing problem is compounded by decreased access to outpatient care and inpatient psychiatric beds, resulting in exorbitantly long waiting times, or “boarding,” of children in crisis. Telepsychiatry has emerged as a strategy to decrease boarding of pediatric patients in ED settings by utilizing remote psychiatric professionals to provide consultation and assessment.

Summary

Telepsychiatry in ED settings is an effective strategy to increase access to care and decrease length of stay for pediatric patients.

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Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: •  Of importance •• Of major importance

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Acknowledgements

The editors would like to thank Dr. Harrison Levine for taking the time to review this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Christopher L. Kline, Laura Hurst, Sheila Marcus & Nasuh Malas

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Nasuh Malas

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  1. Christopher L. Kline
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Correspondence to Nasuh Malas.

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Conflict of Interest

Christopher L Kline, Laura Hurst, and Sheila Marcus each declare no potential conflicts of interest. Dr. Malas reports grant funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services during the conduct of the study for 1% academic effort related to the MC3 telepsychiatry program. This review was conducted as implementation preparatory work prior to development and implementation of telepsychiatry services to pediatric emergency departments and general emergency departments.

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Kline, C.L., Hurst, L., Marcus, S. et al. A Review of Telepsychiatry for Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Setting. Curr Psychiatry Rep 25, 429–436 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-023-01442-8

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