8.1 PANDEMIC IMPACT ON DEMAND FOR PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE: OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILD PSYCHIATRY/PEDIATRICIAN ENGAGEMENT

Ballard, Rachel

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the demand for pediatric health care across all domains. Mental health providers have struggled to keep up with demand, while some pediatric practices face insolvency due to reduced demand for pediatric sick visits. We quantify these changes in a pediatric hospital system and describe opportunities for child and adolescent psychiatrists to engage with pediatrician colleagues in the new pediatric healthcare landscape. Methods: Visit data from a large metropolitan children’s hospital for the periods March 2020 to February 2021 and March 2019 to February 2020 were compared, and key stakeholders were interviewed. Results: Pediatric outpatient visits declined by 28.3% (p < 0.001), and emergency department visits decreased by 45.6% (p < 0.001). Outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry visits increased by 23% (p = 0.002). Decreased demand for pediatric care resulted in underemployment of general pediatricians. We describe strategies for general pediatricians to meet increasing mental healthcare demand in partnership with child and adolescent psychiatrists. These strategies range from the expansion of skill sets to temporary or even permanent redeployment into mental health–focused pediatric care. Conclusions: Pediatric mental health care is a growing proportion of all pediatric health care. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated awareness of the need for more pediatric clinicians to participate in mental health care. Child and adolescent psychiatrists can assist pediatric practices and hospital systems to meet mental healthcare demand and shift resources to maintain financial viability through this time of change. CON, TVM, PRE