Clinical case study: pediatric residents' discussions of and interventions for children's behavioral and emotional problems.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of a screening instrument and parent handouts on pediatric residents' discussions of and interventions for children's behavioral and emotional problems.


METHODS
Four pediatric residents and 52 parent-child dyads attending an ambulatory pediatric primary care clinic participated in the study. We used a multiple baseline design across residents. We assessed the effect of the interventions by measuring nine target behaviors of the pediatric residents.


RESULTS
After being trained to use the screening instrument, residents increased the number and variety of questions they asked regarding behavioral and emotional issues. Residents' attempts at intervention showed small but consistent increases when handouts on behavior management procedures were made available for distribution to parents.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of a screening instrument in pediatric primary care shows promise for increasing discussions between residents and parents about children's behavioral and emotional issues. Further research should examine strategies to improve pediatric residents' attempts at intervention for behavioral and emotional problems in children.
Applegate
Heather
H
, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, 2500 N. State Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39216-4505, USA. hbrapplegate@yahoo.com
Kelley
Mary Lou
ML
Applegate
Bradford W
BW
Jayasinghe
Indra K
IK
Venters
Charmaine L
CL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008403:Mass Screening; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015588:Observer Variation; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires