Dataset Information

Checking IN: Development, Acceptability, and Feasibility of a Pediatric Electronic Distress Screener.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Chronic illness in children and adolescents is associated with significant stress and risk of psychosocial problems. In busy pediatric clinics, limited time and resources are significant barriers to providing mental health assessment for every child. A brief, real-time self-report measure of psychosocial problems is needed.

Methods

An electronic distress screening tool, Checking IN, for ages 8-21 was developed in 3 phases. Phase I used semi-structured cognitive interviews (N = 47) to test the wording of items assessing emotional, physical, social, practical, and spiritual concerns of pediatric patients. Findings informed the development of the final measure and an electronic platform (Phase II). Phase III used semi-structured interviews (N = 134) to assess child, caregiver and researcher perception of the feasibility, acceptability, and barriers of administering Checking IN in the outpatient setting at 4 sites.

Results

Most patients and caregivers rated Checking IN as "easy" or "very easy" to complete, "feasible" or "somewhat feasible," and the time to complete the measure as acceptable. Most providers (n = 68) reported Checking IN elicited clinically useful and novel information. Fifty-four percent changed care for their patient based on the results.

Conclusions

Checking IN is a versatile and brief distress screener that is acceptable to youth with chronic illness and feasible to administer. The summary report provides immediate clinically meaningful data. Electronic tools like Checking IN can capture a child's current psychosocial wellbeing in a standardized, consistent, and useful way, while allowing for the automation of triaging referrals and psychosocial documentation during outpatient visits.

SUBMITTER: Wiener L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10211261 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Checking IN: Development, Acceptability, and Feasibility of a Pediatric Electronic Distress Screener.

Wiener Lori L Bedoya Sima Z SZ Gordon Mallorie M Fry Abigail A Casey Robert R Steele Amii A Ruble Kathy K Ciampa Devon D Pao Maryland M

Clinical practice in pediatric psychology 20220811 1

<h4>Objective</h4>Chronic illness in children and adolescents is associated with significant stress and risk of psychosocial problems. In busy pediatric clinics, limited time and resources are significant barriers to providing mental health assessment for every child. A brief, real-time self-report measure of psychosocial problems is needed.<h4>Methods</h4>An electronic distress screening tool, <i>Checking IN</i>, for ages 8-21 was developed in 3 phases. Phase I used semi-structured cognitive in ...[more]

PMID: 37251422

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Dataset Information

Checking IN: Development, Acceptability, and Feasibility of a Pediatric Electronic Distress Screener.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Checking IN: Development, Acceptability, and Feasibility of a Pediatric Electronic Distress Screener.

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