The September 2020 special issue of Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychologyopens in new window focuses on the current state of pediatric integrated primary care (IPC). The guest editors of the special issue discuss the practical implications of the featured studies.
What is the special issue about?
The September 2020 special issue is about the emerging evidence in support of clinical best practices for pediatric integrated primary care (IPC). The articles in this collection represent the current state of pediatric IPC across four central themes: increasing engagement with IPC services, identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation, building culturally informed service models to reduce health disparities, and training and workforce development.
What is the significance of the issue?
Over the past 50 years, pediatric IPC has grown from a novel practice to a recognized subspecialty of pediatric psychology. As the healthcare landscape has evolved, pediatric IPC has becoming increasingly mainstream, but questions remain about how psychologists can be most effective in this setting. The articles in this special issue represent emerging interprofessional practices and adapted interventions to meet the needs of diverse patient populations.
Tell us about a few key takeaways.
It is clear that clinicians must focus on understanding the strategies that increase patient and family engagement with IPC services. One technique that is often cited but has limited research support in pediatrics is the “warm handoff”—transfer of care that takes place in the presence of the patient and/or family members. Across studies in this issue, warm handoffs emerged as a key engagement strategy; the articles provide evidence of greater engagement with IPC services and higher follow-up rates across studies.
Another key takeaway from this special issue is the importance of addressing prevention and population health in the primary care setting. This includes embracing two-generation approaches to care, upstream implementation, and developing culturally responsive adaptations of effective interventions. Policy and payment reform is essential for these approaches to be sustainable.
Finally, the commentaries in this special issue highlight the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and reckoning with racism in the United States on the delivery of health care. It is important to contextualize the evidence presented in the issue in the current climate, and consider the implications on the future of IPC delivery.
What are some practical implications of the articles featured in the issue?
Collectively, the articles in this issue are aimed at providing clinicians with pragmatic strategies for implementation of pediatric IPC, including strategies to increase engagement with services and efforts to implement programs that reduce health disparities. Moreover, given that a key role of psychologists in systems involves workforce development and training, the issue also includes a focus on IPC training program curriculum development and implementation.
Note: This article is in the Clinical Psychology topic area. View more articles in the Clinical Psychology topic area.