PEDIATRICIANS PERCEPTIONS OF CHILD-PSYCHIATRY CONSULTATIONS

To ascertain pediatrician's expectations of child psychiatric consulta nts at our facility, a self-report questionnaire was sent to the 135 m embers of the Department of Pediatrics, The University of Florida Heal th Science Center, in 1991. The 73 respondents (54%) reported high rat es of emotional problems and adverse family situations in their patien ts, and a majority said they used psychiatric consultation sometimes o r often. Adolescents were the patient group most frequently referred, and behavioral problems were the most frequent reasons for consultatio n requests. Pediatricians most valued a timely response and accessibil ity from consultants. These results are discussed with reference to th e further development of a consultation-liaison service within a child and adolescent psychiatry training program.