Children's Behavioral and Mental Health in Primary Care Settings: A Survey of Self-Reported Comfort Levels and Practice Patterns Among Pediatricians

Introduction: Despite the well-documented youth mental health crisis, there has been a lag in the development of a specialized workforce to meet needs of young people experiencing these challenges. Little is known about the comfort of primary care pediatricians when faced with children and adolescents with mental health care concerns. Method: A brief online survey was conducted to assess patterns of behavioral and mental health concerns in pediatric practices affiliated with a pediatric health system in Alabama. The survey asked about frequency of conditions that providers encountered, comfort treating these conditions, and frequency of external referrals. Results: Pediatric providers reported high volumes of children with mental health concerns and varying levels of comfort treating independently. Providers frequently refer externally. Conclusions: High rates of referrals could further stress an already overloaded system of specialty care. Interventions must be implemented to ensure a workforce prepared to meet the growing needs of youth requiring support for mental and behavioral health conditions. Public Significance StatementThis study highlights the volume of behavioral and mental health concerns that pediatricians deal with on a daily basis. It highlights the need for efforts to bolster workforce capacity among both primary and specialty providers to meet the needs of youth with mental and behavioral health needs appropriately.