Preventive models for reducing major causes of morbidity and mortality in childhood

Abstract

Increasingly, pediatric providers are partnering with educational, public health, social service, and child welfare entities in interdisciplinary teams to identify various factors contributing to children’s well-being and illness and to participate in advocacy on multiple levels. These factors include biological, psychological, educational, economic, and other social influences (American Academy of Pediatrics 2013). Collaboration between pediatric providers and consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry, in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, creates opportunities to address and prevent leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Toward this goal, it is essential for pediatric practitioners to understand the public health approach and integrate a community dimension into their practice. While most clinicians are accustomed to focusing on the treatment of individual patients and their immediate social support, such a narrow focus can lead to missed opportunities for effective prevention in the context of the patient, family, and larger community. The public health approach encourages providers to not limit their attention to the individual, but also consider the patient’s various interpersonal relationships and organizational and community memberships, as well as larger societal influences that impact people’s health. The goal of this chapter and associated vignettes is to provide an overview of key public health principles, approaches, and tools that pediatric CL psychiatrists may find useful and relevant for day-to-day application.