A new study published in the journal Pediatrics shows that pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for mental health disorders have increased by 60% and visits for deliberate self-harm have increased 329%.
For the study, a research team from Nationwide Children’s Hospital evaluated the number and reason for mental health-related ED visits.
They also looked at the geographic location of EDs and the overall number of children coming to each ED. Prior research has shown that low pediatric volume EDs and EDs in rural settings are less prepared for all pediatric emergencies, and only one third of rural facilities have pediatric mental health policies or mental health transfer agreements. “We would like children to go to their primary care
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