Pediatric Family Care: An Interdisciplinary Team Approach

Abstract

Providing adequate psychosocial support for hospitalized pediatric patients and their families is sometimes difficult. An interdisciplinary team can help caregivers to assess needs and develop strategies for working with difficult patients and families. This paper describes the development of a pediatric family care team that has been effective in one hospital, outlining the general steps followed in establishing the team. A review of practical considerations related to team membership, costs, and procedures is followed by a discussion of the problems encountered. A case study demonstrates how the team helped meet the psychosocial needs of one pediatric patient.

Behavioral and developmental problems of children in primary care: Opportunities for psychologists.

“…Children with special health care needs and chronic illnesses present unique challenges to health care providers and often require the expertise of providers from different disciplines working together (Drotar, 1995). The benefits of interdisciplinary care have been well documented in areas such as developmental disabilities (Yerbury, 1997), asthma (Weinstein, Chenkin, & Faust, 1997), oncology (Melamed, 1995), diabetes (Saunders, Miller, & Gates, 1989), child abuse (Kolbo & Strong, 1997), and failure to thrive (Black, Feigelman, & Cureton, 1999). The role of psychology in interdisciplinary teams is broad, extending from preventive services to education to diagnostic and therapeutic care.…”