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BACKGROUND: The justification for higher cost-sharing for behavioral health treatment is its greater price sensitivity relative to general healthcare treatment. Despite this, recent policy efforts have focused on improving access to behavioral health treatment. OBJECTIVES: We measured the effects on outpatient treatment of depression of a change in mental health benefits for employees of a large U.S.-based corporation. RESEARCH DESIGN: The benefit change involved 3 major elements: reduced copayments for mental health treatment, the implementation of a selective contracting network, and an effort to destigmatize mental illness. Claims data and a difference-in-differences methodology were used to examine how the benefit change affected outpatient treatment of depression. SUBJECTS: Subjects consisted of 214,517 employee-years of data for individuals who were continuously enrolled for at least 1 full year at the intervention company and 96,365 employee-years in the control group. MEASURES: We measured initiation into treatment of depression and the number of outpatient therapy visits. RESULTS: The benefit change was associated with a 26% increase in the probability of initiating depression treatment. Conditional on initiating treatment, patients in the intervention company received 1.2 additional (P < 0.001) outpatient mental health treatment visits relative to the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the overall effect of the company's benefit change was to significantly increase the number of outpatient visits per episode of treatment conditional on treatment initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Major depression in later life is highest among people with chronic illness. Identifying amenable factors that mediate the relationship between known risk factors such as arthritis and heart disease with major depression is important to the design of clinical and public health strategies to reduce depression and its consequences.Objective: This study investigates factors amenable to clinical and public health intervention that could mediate the relationship between chronic illness and major depression.Design: Population-based national sample.Setting: United States preretirement age (54-65) adults.Participants: A total of 7825 participants from the 1996 Health and Retirement Survey.Measurement: The outcome is major depression based on standardized assessment. Independent variables include sociodemographics chronic illness profile, functional limitation, health and medical access.Results: A substantial burden of major depression is related to chronic illness, particularly arthritis (attributable risk [AR], 18.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.9-25.6) and heart disease (AR, 17.6%; 95% CI, 13.4-21.7). Functional limitation is the strongest investigated factor associated with depression (AR, 34.4%; 95% CI, 24.8-42.7) and attenuates the associations of arthritis and heart disease with depression.Conclusion: Functional limitation mediates the association of arthritis and heart disease with major depression. This relationship offers potential clinical and public health strategies to reduce major depression in older adults through intervention and management of functional limitation. Alternatively, it might be possible to reduce functional loss through screening for depression, particularly among people with functional limitation, and effective mental health treatment. The importance for clinical management of depression, comorbidity, and functional limitation spectrum supports the value of systems-based medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONTEXT: Breakthroughs in the development of effective medications for a number of psychiatric disorders have led to increased use of these compounds in the treatment of children. OBJECTIVES: To understand the use of psychotropic medications in the treatment of children, a state-wide study was undertaken based on the data collected in a large planning study. DATA AND SETTING: A stratified random sample of 10 different program types in New York State produced data on children served in different specialty mental health services. PARTICIPANTS: Randomly selected cases were reviewed at a randomly selected sites to generate a sample of 1592 cases on which data were collected on clinical presentation and service use, including psychotropic medication prescriptions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS-MH) tool was used to provide a reliable review of clinical indicators. RESULTS: Psychotropic medication use is common in the children's public mental health service system in New York. Most children served in high intensity settings receive medication as a part of their treatment. It appears that most prescriptions for stimulants and antidepressants are consistent with either diagnostic or symptom indications. Many children with these indications are not on medications. On the other hand, a large number of children without evidence of psychosis receive antipsychotic medications. CONCLUSION: The evidence suggests that stimulant and antidepressant are not over-prescribed. However, the use of antipsychotic medications for other indications is a priority for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Juvenile arrests have increased dramatically in recent years and emerging evidence suggests that youth involved in juvenile justice have significant mental health needs. In this study, we examined 473 youth in multiple counties from 3 settings: community settings (detention-petition), correctional settings, and residential treatment settings. Using the Childhood Severity of Psychiatric Illness Scale (Lyons, 1998), the mental health needs of youth in each of these settings was ascertained and compared. Results suggest an overall high rate of mental health needs, including serious emotional disorders. Youth in institutional settings had higher levels of need than those in the community. Youth with behavioral problems were more likely to be incarcerated, whereas youth with emotional problems were more likely sent to residential treatment facilities. Prior treatment experiences, both in mental health and substance abuse treatment, were strongly related to incarceration. Other clinical and demographic variables also distinguished youth in these three settings. Implications for service planning and integration are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although case management is an important component of treatment for persons with major mental illnesses, little is known about who works in case management, what functions are performed and how much occupational stress case managers experience. Mental health case managers (CM's) throughout the state of Oregon (N = 216) completed an inventory of case management functions and the job dissatisfaction and occupational stress scales of the Medical Personnel Stress Survey-Revised. The average expected tenure for a CM was 11 years, although one fifth expect to be a CM for four years or less. CM's spend 36% of their time performing administrative tasks, 20% in therapy, 17% with skills training, and 18% in case coordination tasks. CM level of education was associated with a different distribution of effort across case management functions. Greater job dissatisfaction was associated with specialized training, larger case load size and greater intention to leave the position. Consumer CM's demonstrated equivalent levels of job satisfaction as their non-consumer colleagues. The relevance of the project's findings for human resource management are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance represent 7-12 percent of all youth in the United States. In 2017, the State of Idaho implemented the Youth Empowerment Service program, which allows youth with serious emotional disturbance who are younger than age eighteen living in households with income up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for Medicaid and receive intensive, community-based treatment. A uniquely detailed method was used to assess the need for services: the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths tool, a ninety-seven-indicator instrument administered by a clinician. We used these indicators and Idaho's 2018-22 administrative Medicaid claims data to study the association between children and adolescents' clinical needs complexity and their actual Medicaid behavioral and mental health service use. Our findings show that there was a substantial proportion of youth who were underusing Medicaid behavioral and mental health care services, and there were virtually no overusers. Our findings have implications for the appropriateness of Medicaid utilization management in behavioral health care and program efforts to maintain families with youth having serious emotional disturbance in the Youth Empowerment Service program.

Background: Complex social determinants of health may not be easily recognized by health care providers and pose a unique challenge in the vulnerable pediatric population where patients may not be able to advocate for themselves. The goal of this study was to examine the acceptability and feasibility of health care providers using an integrated brief pediatric screening tool in primary care and hospital settings., Methods: The framework of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) and Pediatric Intermed tools was used to inform the selection of items for the 9-item Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths-Pediatric Complexity Indicator (CANS-PCI). The tool consisted of three domains: biological, psychological, and social. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health care providers in pediatric medical facilities in Ottawa, Canada. A low inference and iterative thematic synthesis approach was used to analyze the qualitative interview data specific to acceptability and feasibility., Results: Thirteen health care providers participated in interviews. Six overarching themes were identified: acceptability, logistics, feasibility, pros/cons, risk, and privacy. Overall, participants agreed that a routine, trained provider-led pediatric tool for the screening of social determinants of health is important (n = 10, 76.9%), acceptable (n = 11; 84.6%), and feasible (n = 7, 53.8%)., Interpretation: Though the importance of social determinants of health are widely recognized, there are limited systematic methods of assessing, describing, and communicating amongst health care providers about the biomedical and psychosocial complexities of pediatric patients. Based on this study's findings, implementation of a brief provider-led screening tool into pediatric care practices may contribute to this gap., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Understanding and addressing the impact of adverse life events is an important priority in the design of helping systems. However, creating trauma-informed systems requires efforts to embed effective trauma-informed work in routine practice. This article discusses a model for developing trauma-informed systems using the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) framework, a strategy for engineering person-centered care. Person-centered care is naturally congruent with trauma-informed care. We describe the initial stages of implementation of a trauma-informed standardized assessment process to support the sustained evolution of trauma-informed care. Distinguishing between traumatic experiences and traumatic stress is fundamental to an effective trauma-informed system. We describe two sets of analyses-one in a statewide child welfare system and the other in a statewide behavioral health system. These projects found opportunities in the analysis of the detection of traumatic stress based on traumatic experiences to inform practice and policy. Being trauma-informed in child welfare is distinct from being trauma-informed in behavioral health. In child welfare, it appears that a number of children are resilient in the face of traumatic experiences and do not require trauma treatment interventions. However, delayed and missed traumatic stress responses are common. In behavioral health, misses often occur among adolescents, particularly boys, who engage in acting out behavior. Opportunities for the ongoing development of trauma-informed systems using the TCOM framework are discussed., Competing Interests: JL is the president of the Praed Foundation. The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Lyons and Fernando.)

Objective: The authors quantified the impact of the use of telehealth services on patient-level clinical outcomes among children with complex behavioral and emotional needs in Idaho during the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing data collected in 2020 with data for the same months in 2019., Methods: Longitudinal statewide data of Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessments were extracted from Idaho's mental and behavioral health system. Prepandemic assessments were matched to midpandemic assessments. A linear mixed-effect model was used to explore four child-level outcomes: psychosocial strengths-building rate, rate of need resolution within a life-functioning domain, rate of need resolution within a behavior-emotional domain, and rate of need resolution within a high-risk behaviors domain., Results: The number of new patients admitted to Idaho's state-funded mental and behavioral health program decreased almost twofold from April-December 2019 to April-December 2020 (N=4,458 vs. 2,794). For most children with complex needs, the use of telehealth was as effective in terms of strengths building and needs resolution as in-person services; for children whose caregivers had issues with access to transportation, availability of telehealth services improved outcomes for the children., Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was associated with a dramatic drop in the number of children served by Idaho's mental health program. Telehealth may effectively bridge mental health service delivery while patients and providers work toward the resolution of transportation issues or may serve as a more acceptable permanent format of service delivery for some populations.

Nationally, opioid overdose remains strikingly persistent among people experiencing homelessness and housing instability. Limited information is available about the characteristics of this phenomenon in economically disadvantaged communities of color. This study sought to evaluate the association between key contextual factors and experiencing a non-fatal opioid overdose among people who use heroin in Washington Heights, New York City. We conducted a cross-sectional survey (N = 101) among participants seeking harm reduction services who reported heroin use in the last three months. Binary logistic regression models examined the association between key social and structural factors and the likelihood of ever experiencing a non-fatal opioid overdose and recently experiencing a non-fatal opioid overdose. The majority of the sample reported housing instability and lived in poverty; almost 42% were homeless. After adjustment, participants who injected heroin were more likely to have ever experienced a non-fatal opioid overdose. Also, younger participants who reported hunger in the last six months were more likely to have experienced a non-fatal opioid overdose in the last three months. Findings suggest the role of structural vulnerability in shaping overdose risk among the participants. Overdose prevention strategies should consider factors of the social and economic environment to mitigate barriers to accessing health and social services within the context of the current opioid crisis.

The downregulation of sclerostin in osteocytes mediates bone formation in response to mechanical cues and parathyroid hormone (PTH). To date, the regulation of sclerostin has been attributed exclusively to the transcriptional downregulation of the Sost gene hours after stimulation. Using mouse models and rodent cell lines, we describe the rapid, minute-scale post-translational degradation of sclerostin protein by the lysosome following mechanical load and PTH. We present a model, integrating both new and established mechanically and hormonally activated effectors into the regulated degradation of sclerostin by lysosomes. Using a mouse forelimb mechanical loading model, we find transient inhibition of lysosomal degradation or the upstream mechano-signaling pathway controlling sclerostin abundance impairs subsequent load-induced bone formation by preventing sclerostin degradation. We also link dysfunctional lysosomes to aberrant sclerostin regulation using human Gaucher disease iPSCs. These results reveal how bone anabolic cues post-translationally regulate sclerostin abundance in osteocytes to regulate bone formation., Competing Interests: NG, KW, HJ, OT, JL, MS, MH, RF No competing interests declared, JL, JS Holds two patents related to this work. One for the custom fluid shear device used for these experiments (US Patent No US 2017/0276666 A1) and a second for the targeting microtubules (part of this mechano-transduction pathway) to improve bone mass (US Patent No US 2019/0351055 A1). RK Has a patent pending on colchicine analogs to treat musculoskeletal disorders (PCT/US2018/038300). Ramzi J. Khairallah is affiliated with Myologica, LLC. The author has no financial interests to declare. CW Holds two patents related to this work. One for the custom fluid shear device used for these experiments (US Patent No US 2017/0276666 A1) and a second for the targeting microtubules (part of this mechano-transduction pathway) to improve bone mass (US Patent No US 2019/0351055 A1). Another patent pending on colchicine analogs to treat musculoskeletal disorders (PCT/US2018/038300)., (© 2021, Gould et al.)

Skeletal remodeling is driven in part by the osteocyte's ability to respond to its mechanical environment by regulating the abundance of sclerostin, a negative regulator of bone mass. We have recently shown that the osteocyte responds to fluid shear stress via the microtubule network-dependent activation of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)-generated reactive oxygen species and subsequent opening of TRPV4 cation channels, leading to calcium influx, activation of CaMKII, and rapid sclerostin protein downregulation. In addition to the initial calcium influx, purinergic receptor signaling and calcium oscillations occur in response to mechanical load and prior to rapid sclerostin protein loss. However, the independent contributions of TRPV4-mediated calcium influx and purinergic calcium oscillations to the rapid sclerostin protein downregulation remain unclear. Here, we showed that NOX2 and TRPV4-dependent calcium influx is required for calcium oscillations, and that TRPV4 activation is both necessary and sufficient for sclerostin degradation. In contrast, calcium oscillations are neither necessary nor sufficient to acutely decrease sclerostin protein abundance. However, blocking oscillations with apyrase prevented fluid shear stress induced changes in osterix (Sp7), osteoprotegerin (Tnfrsf11b), and sclerostin (Sost) gene expression. In total, these data provide key mechanistic insights into the way bone cells translate mechanical cues to target a key effector of bone formation, sclerostin., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest JSL, CWW, and JPS hold two patents related to this work. One for the custom fluid shear device used for these experiments (US Patent No US 2017/0276666 A1) and a second for the targeting of this osteocyte mechanotransduction pathway to improve bone mass (US Patent No US 2019/0351055 A1)., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: The adult INTERMED is used to determine case complexity and psychosocial needs. We developed and validated a pediatric version of the INTERMED for children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and assessed its utility in predicting healthcare utilization., Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of children (aged 8-17 y) with IBD (n = 148) and their parents, seen in a hospital-based clinic. Subjects completed semi-structured interviews that were scored on the 34 pIBD-INTERMED items. To assess inter-rater reliability, 40 interviews were videotaped and scored by a second assessor. Convergent and predictive validity were assessed by examining the relation of the pIBD-INTERMED to standardized measures of psychological, social, and family functioning, disease activity, and healthcare utilization., Results: Correlational analyses supported the validity of all five pIBD-INTERMED domains with very good inter-rater reliability (median r = 0.87) and internal consistency (α = 0.91) for the total complexity index. Ratings of 2-3 on the pIBD-INTERMED "mental health/cognitive threat" item were associated with greater odds of behavior and social problems (CBCL-Internalizing scale OR = 7.27, 95% CI 2.17-24.36); CBCL-Externalizing scale OR = 24.79, 95% CI 5.00-122.84), depression (Children's Depression Inventory OR = 8.52, 95% CI 1.70-43.02) and anxiety (Multidimensional Anxiety for Children OR = 11.57, 95% CI 3.00-45.37). The pIBD-INTERMED complexity index added significantly to the prediction of healthcare utilization, beyond the contribution of disease severity., Conclusions: The pIBD-INTERMED is a reliable and valid tool for identifying psychosocial risks and needs of children with IBD. It can be used to guide planning of individualized care and enhance interdisciplinary pediatric IBD care., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The goal of this study was to examine the mental health needs of children and youth who present to the emergency department (ED) for mental health care and to describe the type of, and satisfaction with, follow-up mental health services accessed., Methods: A 6-month to 1.5-year prospective cohort study was conducted in three Canadian pediatric EDs and one general ED, with a 1-month follow-up post-ED discharge. Measures included 1) clinician rating of mental health needs, 2) patient and caregiver self-reports of follow-up services, and 3) interviews regarding follow-up satisfaction. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and the Fisher's exact test to compare sites., Results: The cohort consisted of 373 children and youth (61.1% female; mean age 15.1 years, 1.5 standard deviation). The main reason for ED presentations was a mental health crisis. The three most frequent areas of need requiring action were mood (43.8%), suicide risk (37.4%), and parent-child relational problems (34.6%). During the ED visit, 21.6% of patients received medical clearance, 40.9% received a psychiatric consult, and 19.4% were admitted to inpatient psychiatric care. At the 1-month post-ED visit, 84.3% of patients/caregivers received mental health follow-up. Ratings of service recommendations were generally positive, as 60.9% of patients obtained the recommended follow-up care and 13.9% were wait-listed., Conclusions: Children and youth and their families presenting to the ED with mental health needs had substantial clinical morbidity, were connected with services, were satisfied with their ED visit, and accessed follow-up care within 1-month with some variability.

Aggressive cellular phenotypes such as uncontrolled proliferation and increased migration capacity engender cellular transformation, malignancy and metastasis. While genetic mutations are undisputed drivers of cancer initiation and progression, it is increasingly accepted that external factors are also playing a major role. Two recently studied modulators of breast cancer are changes in the cellular mechanical microenvironment and alterations in calcium homeostasis. While many studies investigate these factors separately in breast cancer cells, very few do so in combination. This current work sets a foundation to explore mechano-calcium relationships driving malignant progression in breast cancer. Utilizing real-time imaging of an in vitro scratch assay, we were able to resolve mechanically-sensitive calcium signaling in human breast cancer cells. We observed rapid initiation of intracellular calcium elevations within seconds in cells at the immediate wound edge, followed by a time-dependent increase in calcium in cells at distances up to 500μm from the scratch wound. Calcium signaling to neighboring cells away from the wound edge returned to baseline within seconds. Calcium elevations at the wound edge however, persisted for up to 50 minutes. Rigorous quantification showed that extracellular calcium was necessary for persistent calcium elevation at the wound edge, but intercellular signal propagation was dependent on internal calcium stores. In addition, intercellular signaling required extracellular ATP and activation of P2Y 2 receptors. Through comparison of scratch-induced signaling from multiple cell lines, we report drastic reductions in response from aggressively tumorigenic and metastatic cells. The real-time scratch assay established here provides quantitative data on the molecular mechanisms that support rapid scratch-induced calcium signaling in breast cancer cells. These mechanisms now provide a clear framework for investigating which short-term calcium signals promote long-term changes in cancer cell biology., Competing Interests: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The adaptation of the skeleton to its mechanical environment is orchestrated by mechanosensitive osteocytes, largely by regulating the abundance of sclerostin, a secreted inhibitor of bone formation. We defined a microtubule-dependent mechanotransduction pathway that linked fluid shear stress to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and calcium (Ca 2+ ) signals that led to a reduction in sclerostin abundance in cultured osteocytes. We demonstrated that microtubules stabilized by detyrosination, a reversible posttranslational modification of polymerized α-tubulin, determined the stiffness of the cytoskeleton, which set the mechanoresponsive range of cultured osteocytes to fluid shear stress. We showed that fluid shear stress through the microtubule network activated NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)-generated ROS that target the Ca 2+ channel TRPV4 to elicit Ca 2+ influx. Furthermore, tuning the abundance of detyrosinated tubulin affected cytoskeletal stiffness to define the mechanoresponsive range of cultured osteocytes to fluid shear stress. Finally, we demonstrated that NOX2-ROS elicited Ca 2+ signals that activated the kinase CaMKII to decrease the abundance of sclerostin protein. Together, these discoveries may identify potentially druggable targets for regulating osteocyte mechanotransduction to affect bone quality., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Cells respond to their mechanical environment by initiating multiple mechanotransduction signaling pathways. Defects in mechanotransduction have been implicated in a number of pathologies; thus, there is need for convenient and efficient methods for studying the mechanisms underlying these processes. A widely used and accepted technique for mechanically stimulating cells in culture is the introduction of fluid flow on cell monolayers. Here, we describe a novel, multifunctional fluid flow device for exposing cells to fluid flow in culture. This device integrates with common lab equipment including routine cell culture plates and peristaltic pumps. Further, it allows the fluid flow treated cells to be examined with outcomes at the cell and molecular level. We validated the device using the biologic response of cultured UMR-106 osteoblast-like cells in comparison to a commercially available system of laminar sheer stress to track live cell calcium influx in response to fluid flow. In addition, we demonstrate the fluid flow-dependent activation of phospho-ERK in these cells, consistent with the findings in other fluid flow devices. This device provides a low cost, multi-functional alternative to currently available systems, while still providing the ability to generate physiologically relevant conditions for studying processes involved in mechanotransduction in vitro., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

After children enter the child welfare system, subsequent out-of-home placement decisions and their impact on children's well-being are complex and under-researched. This study examined two placement decision-making models: a multidisciplinary team approach, and a decision support algorithm using a standardized assessment. Based on 3,911 placement records in the Illinois child welfare system over 4 years, concordant (agreement) and discordant (disagreement) decisions between the two models were compared. Concordant decisions consistently predicted improvement in children's well-being regardless of placement type. Discordant decisions showed greater variability. In general, placing children in settings less restrictive than the algorithm suggested ("under-placing") was associated with less severe baseline functioning but also less improvement over time than placing children according to the algorithm. "Over-placing" children in settings more restrictive than the algorithm recommended was associated with more severe baseline functioning but fewer significant results in rate of improvement than predicted by concordant decisions. The importance of placement decision-making on policy, restrictiveness of placement, and delivery of treatments and services in child welfare are discussed.

Out-of-home placement decision-making in child welfare is founded on the best interest of the child in the least restrictive setting. After a child is removed from home, however, little is known about the mechanism of placement decision-making. This study aims to systematically examine the patterns of out-of-home placement decisions made in a state's child welfare system by comparing two models of placement decision-making: a multidisciplinary team decision-making model and a clinically based decision support algorithm. Based on records of 7816 placement decisions representing 6096 children over a 4-year period, hierarchical log-linear modeling characterized concordance or agreement, and discordance or disagreement when comparing the two models and accounting for age-appropriate placement options. Children aged below 16 had an overall concordance rate of 55.7%, most apparent in the least restrictive (20.4%) and the most restrictive placement (18.4%). Older youth showed greater discordant distributions (62.9%). Log-linear analysis confirmed the overall robustness of concordance (odd ratios [ORs] range: 2.9-442.0), though discordance was most evident from small deviations from the decision support algorithm, such as one-level under-placement in group home (OR=5.3) and one-level over-placement in residential treatment center (OR=4.8). Concordance should be further explored using child-level clinical and placement stability outcomes. Discordance might be explained by dynamic factors such as availability of placements, caregiver preferences, or policy changes and could be justified by positive child-level outcomes. Empirical placement decision-making is critical to a child's journey in child welfare and should be continuously improved to effect positive child welfare outcomes., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Emergency department (ED) management of adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) is complex and frustrating. The Emergency Department Sickle Cell Assessment of Needs and Strengths (ED-SCANS) is a research-based decision support and quality improvement (QI) tool to guide management of individual patients with SCD and can also be used to guide the development of ED protocols and other QI initiatives for this population. The study evaluated ED-SCANS' inter-rater reliability, face and utility validity among clinicians, and construct validity of anxiety, depression, and psychiatric or social service needs among patients. ED nurses and physicians found the ED-SCANS to be useful, relevant, and easy to use. Nurse practitioners can use the ED-SCANS to assess and manage individual patients. Clinical nurse specialists can use the ED-SCANS as a framework to guide departmental QI efforts.

Despite decades of eating disorder (ED) research, studies of factors involved in long-term EDs are still lacking. This longitudinal study investigated the role of maintenance variables in a transdiagnostic adolescent ED sample. Participants included 275 adolescents who underwent specialized ED treatment. Hierarchical linear modeling confirmed a significant growth pattern of maintenance factors, wherein there was initial increase, then a decline during treatment, followed by a slight rebound post-treatment. Refractory status did not predict the variability in maintenance curves, suggesting that although this growth pattern existed, requiring a second treatment encounter did not explain the differences found in these patterns.

Background and Objective: The American Academy of Pediatrics called for action for improved screening of mental health issues in the emergency department (ED). We developed the rapid screening tool home, education, activities/peers, drugs/alcohol, suicidality, emotions/behavior, discharge resources (HEADS-ED), which is a modification of "HEADS," a mnemonic widely used to obtain a psychosocial history in adolescents. The reliability and validity of the tool and its potential for use as a screening measure are presented., Methods: ED patients presenting with mental health concerns from March 1 to May 30, 2011 were included. Crisis intervention workers completed the HEADS-ED and the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths-Mental Health tool (CANS MH) and patients completed the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Interrater reliability was assessed by using a second HEADS-ED rater for 20% of the sample., Results: A total of 313 patients were included, mean age was 14.3 (SD 2.63), and there were 182 females (58.1%). Interrater reliability was 0.785 (P < .001). Correlations were computed for each HEADS-ED category and items from the CANS MH and the CDI. Correlations ranged from r = 0.17, P < .05 to r = 0.89, P < .000. The HEADS-ED also predicted psychiatric consult and admission to inpatient psychiatry (sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 87%; area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.82, P < .01)., Conclusions: The results provide evidence to support the psychometric properties of the HEADS-ED. The study shows promising results for use in ED decision-making for pediatric patients with mental health concerns.

The clinical multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) is an electrophysiological test of local retinal function. With this technique, many local ERG responses are recorded quasi-simultaneously from the cone-driven retina under light-adapted conditions. This document, from the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV: www.iscev.org ), replaces the ISCEV guidelines for the mfERG published in 2007. Standards for performance of the basic clinical mfERG test with a stimulus array of 61 or 103 hexagons, as well as for reporting the results, are specified.

Background: The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommendations for screening of chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy were published in 2002, but improved screening tools and new knowledge about the prevalence of toxicity have appeared in the ensuing years. No treatment exists as yet for this disorder, so it is imperative that patients and their physicians be aware of the best practices for minimizing toxic damage., Risk of Toxicity: New data have shown that the risk of toxicity increases sharply toward 1% after 5 to 7 years of use, or a cumulative dose of 1000 g, of HCQ. The risk increases further with continued use of the drug., Dosage: The prior recommendation emphasized dosing by weight. However, most patients are routinely given 400 mg of HCQ daily (or 250 mg CQ). This dose is now considered acceptable, except for individuals of short stature, for whom the dose should be determined on the basis of ideal body weight to avoid overdosage., Screening Schedule: A baseline examination is advised for patients starting these drugs to serve as a reference point and to rule out maculopathy, which might be a contraindication to their use. Annual screening should begin after 5 years (or sooner if there are unusual risk factors)., Screening Tests: Newer objective tests, such as multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG), spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and fundus autofluorescence (FAF), can be more sensitive than visual fields. It is now recommended that along with 10-2 automated fields, at least one of these procedures be used for routine screening where available. When fields are performed independently, even the most subtle 10-2 field changes should be taken seriously and are an indication for evaluation by objective testing. Because mfERG testing is an objective test that evaluates function, it may be used in place of visual fields. Amsler grid testing is no longer recommended. Fundus examinations are advised for documentation, but visible bull's-eye maculopathy is a late change, and the goal of screening is to recognize toxicity at an earlier stage., Counseling: Patients should be aware of the risk of toxicity and the rationale for screening (to detect early changes and minimize visual loss, not necessarily to prevent it). The drugs should be stopped if possible when toxicity is recognized or strongly suspected, but this is a decision to be made in conjunction with patients and their medical physicians., (Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: A decision support tool may guide emergency clinicians in recognizing assessment, analgesic and overall management, and health service delivery needs for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to identify data and process elements important in making decisions regarding evaluation and management of adult patients in the ED with painful episodes of SCD., Methods: Qualitative methods using a series of focus groups and grounded theory were used. Eligible participants included adult clients with SCD and emergency physicians and nurses with a minimum of 1 year of experience providing care to patients with SCD in the ED. Patients were recruited in conjunction with annual SCD meetings, and providers included clinicians who were and were not affiliated with sickle cell centers. Groups were conducted until saturation was reached and included a total of two patient groups, three physician groups, and two nurse groups. Focus groups were held in New York, Durham, Chicago, New Orleans, and Denver. Clinician participants were asked the following three questions to guide the discussion: 1) what information would be important to know about patients with SCD in the ED setting to effectively care for them and help you identify patient analgesic, treatment, and referral needs? 2) What treatment decisions would you make with this information? and 3) What characteristics would a decision support tool need to have to make it meaningful and useful? Client participants were asked the same questions with rewording to reflect what they believed providers should know to provide the best care and what they should do with the information. All focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Two coders independently coded participant responses and identified focal themes based on the key questions. An investigator and assistant independently reviewed the transcripts and met until the final coding structure was determined., Results: Forty-seven individuals participated (14 persons with SCD, 16 physicians, and 17 nurses) in a total of seven different groups. Two major themes emerged: acute management and health care utilization. Major subthemes included the following: physiologic findings, diagnostics, assessment and treatment of acute painful episodes, and disposition. The most common minor subthemes that emerged included past medical history, presence of a medical home (physician or clinic), individualized analgesic treatment plan for treatment of painful episodes, history of present illness, medical home follow-up available, patient-reported analgesic treatment that works, and availability of analgesic prescription at discharge. Additional important elements in treatment of acute pain episodes included the use of a standard analgesic protocol, need for fluids and nonpharmacologic interventions, and the assessment of typicality of pain presentation. The patients' interpretation of the need for hospital admission also ranked high., Conclusions: Participants identified several areas that are important in the assessment, management, and disposition decisions that may help guide best practices for SCD patients in the ED setting.

The current article proposes that further specification of the system of care concept is required. Based on the assertions that the system of care concept (a) refers to an ideal as opposed to an observable phenomenon, and (b) is engaged in offering transformational experiences, the authors propose that the system of care definition must be expanded to include measurement and outcomes monitoring strategies that extend beyond current quality improvement initiatives. The authors propose that communication across multiple levels is essential if the goal of offering transformational experiences to children and families is to be realized.

This study examined the extent and correlates of entry into residential care among 603 children and youth in state custody who were referred to psychiatric crisis services. Overall, 27% of the sample was placed in residential care within 12 months after their 1st psychiatric crisis screening. Among the children and youth placed in residential care, 51% were so placed within 3 months of their 1st crisis screening, with an additional 22% placed between 3 and 6 months after screening. Risk behavior and functioning, psychiatric hospitalization following screening, older age, placement type, and caregiver's capacity for supervision were associated with increased residential placement. The findings highlight the importance of early identification and treatment of behavior and functioning problems following a crisis episode among children and youth in state custody to reduce the need for subsequent residential placement. Having an inpatient psychiatric episode following a crisis episode places children at greater risk for residential placement, suggesting that the hospital is an important point for diversion programs. Children and youth in psychiatric crisis may also benefit from efforts to include their families in the treatment process., ((c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.)

Introduction: The challenges of knowledge translation in behavioural health care are unique to this field for a variety of reasons including the fact that effective treatment is invariably embedded in a strong relationship between practitioners and the people they serve., Methods: Practitioners' knowledge gained from experience and intuition become an even more important consideration in the knowledge translation process since clinicians are, in fact, a component of most treatments. Communication of findings from science must be conceptualized with sensitivity to this reality., Results: Considering knowledge translation as a communication process suggests the application of contemporary theories of communication which emphasize the creation of shared meaning over the transmission of knowledge from one person to the next., Conclusion: In this context outcomes management approaches to create a learning environment within clinical practices that facilitate the goals of knowledge transfer while respecting that the scientific enterprise is neither the sole nor primary repository of knowledge.

Multifocal ERG ring ratios provide a sensitive and objective method to detect ocular toxicity in patients taking hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil). In order to measure ring ratios, the average mfERG amplitude was calculated for each of five concentric rings of a 61-hexagon mfERG. The age-corrected amplitude of the central hexagon (R(1)) and the ratios of R(1) to each of the successive rings (R(1)/R(2), R(1)/R(3), etc.) were then computed. Normative values for ring ratios were established from a population of 67 normal controls. In the study population, a ring was considered abnormal if it was above the 99% confidence limits for the normal population. The technique was evaluated on 131 eyes of 62 patients taking Plaquenil for a variety of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Sjögren's syndrome. Patients who had taken Plaquenil for an extended period showed a higher incidence of retinal toxicity, regardless of the condition for which they were taking the drug. Among patients who had taken a cumulative dose of less than 1,250 g, 7 of 67 eyes (10%) showed a characteristic mfERG defect, while in patients with a cumulative dosage of 1,250 g or more, 26 of 64 eyes (41%) showed one of these defects. In at least one patient, the technique was able to detect the early onset of Plaquenil toxicity followed by reversal of the toxic effects after the medication was discontinued. It appears appropriate to recommend that mfERG testing be done on all patients on Plaquenil therapy.

The clinical multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) is an electrophysiological test of local retinal function. With this technique, many local ERG responses, typically 61 or 103, are recorded from the cone-driven retina under light-adapted conditions. This document specifies guidelines for performance of the test. It also provides detailed guidance on technical and practical issues, as well as on reporting test results. The main objective of the guidelines is to promote consistent quality of mfERG testing and reporting within and among centers. These 2007 guidelines, from the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV: http://www.iscev.org ), replace the ISCEV guidelines for the mfERG published in 2003.

This study reports the effect of exposure to liquid carbon dioxide on the mechanical properties of selected medical polymers. The tensile strengths and moduli of fourteen polymers are reported. Materials were exposed to liquid CO(2), or CO(2) + trace amounts of aqueous H(2)O(2), at 6.5 MPa and ambient temperature. Carbon dioxide uptake, swelling, and distortion were observed for the more amorphous polymers while polymers with higher crystallinity showed little effect from CO(2) exposure. Changes in tensile strength were not statistically significant for most plastics, and most indicated good tolerance to liquid CO(2). These results are relevant to evaluating the potential of liquid CO(2)-based sterilization technology.

Purpose: To assess decreased retinal function associated with high cumulative doses of hydroxychloroquine using multifocal electroretinography (mfERG)., Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study., Methods: Sixty-two patients referred for evaluation of hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity. Controls were 67 normal eyes of 67 patients referred for a variety of conditions in the other eye. Visual symptoms, duration of treatment, daily hydroxychloroquine dose (milligrams and milligrams per kilogram), cumulative dose, condition for which the drug was taken, visual acuity, retinal examination, visual fields, and mfERG amplitude. The average mfERG amplitude was calculated for five concentric rings. The age-corrected amplitude of the central hexagon (R(1)) and the ratios of R(1) to each of the other rings (e.g., R(1)/R(2), R(1)/R(3)) were compared with limits derived from control eyes., Results: The incidence of characteristic mfERG abnormalities in patients referred for evaluation with cumulative hydroxychloroquine doses of more than 1250 g was nearly 50%. It was 2.8 times that found in patients with cumulative doses less than 1250 g. Significant abnormalities were seen with cumulative doses as low as 400 g. The mfERG abnormality most commonly detected was an increased R(1)/R(2) ratio. Cumulative dose was more predictive of mfERG abnormalities than daily dose (either in milligrams or milligrams per kilogram) or duration of treatment., Conclusions: Functional testing of the retina with mfERG shows locally decreased retinal function in a large fraction of patients referred for evaluation who have taken high cumulative doses of hydroxychloroquine. A prudent mfERG testing strategy is proposed.

This study explored clinical and nonclinical predictors of inpatient hospital admission decisions across a sample of children in foster care over 4 years (N = 13,245). Forty-eight percent of participants were female and the mean age was 13.4 (SD = 3.5 years). Optimal data analysis (Yarnold & Soltysik, 2005) was used to construct a nonlinear classification tree model for predicting admission decisions. As expected, clinical variables such as suicidality, psychoticism, and dangerousness predicted psychiatric admissions; however, several variables that are not direct indications of acute psychiatric distress, such as the presence of family problems and the location of the hospital screening, impacted decision making in a subsample of cases. Further analyses indicated that the model developed in Year 1 reliably and consistently predicted admission decisions (with 64%-68% overall accuracy) across the next 3 years. Policy, research, and clinical implications are discussed.

During the last 10 years the INTERMED method has been developed as a generic method for the assessment of bio-psychosocial health risks and health needs and for planning of integrated treatment. The INTERMED has been conceptualized to counteract divisions and fragmentation of medical care. Designed to enhance the communication between patients and the health providers as well as between different professions and disciplines, the INTERMED is a visualized, action-oriented decision-support tool. This article presents various aspects of the INTERMED, such as its relevance, description, scoring, the related patient interview and treatment planning, scientific evaluation, implementation, and support for the method.

Accurate and efficient communication among all the parties is an important component of providing efficient and effective medical care to patients who have complex needs. The evolution of clinimetric measurement approaches designed to be congruent with the clinical process into communimetric tools designed to communicate the clinical process to wider audiences allows the use of technology to support improved care. Computerized medicine offers many opportunities for speeding up the communication of data and thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of medical care. The use of communimetric tools within this information environment represents an important opportunity to bridge the quality chasm.

Objective: To predict psychiatric hospital length of stay (LOS) for a sample of Illinois Department of Children and Family Services wards across 4 fiscal years., Method: A prospective design was implemented using the Children's Severity of Psychiatric Illness scale, a reliable and valid measure of psychiatric severity, risk factors, youth strengths, and contextual/environmental factors. Data were collected for 1,930 hospital episodes across 44 hospitals from fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2001. Youths were screened for admission appropriateness by the Illinois Screening, Assessment, and Supportive Services (SASS) program. The Children's Severity of Psychiatric Illness was completed by SASS workers upon conclusion of their crisis interviews. In addition to completing the Children's Severity of Psychiatric Illness, SASS workers reported on demographic information and LOS., Results: The sample of 1,930 youths was randomly split to form development (n = 983) and validation (n = 947) samples. LOS was predicted using ordinary least squares regression. Thirty percent of the variance (F(19,666) = 16.6, p < .0001) in LOS was predicted for the development sample and 22% (F(14,657) = 14.6, p < .0001) was predicted for the confirmation sample. Hospital was the largest and most consistent predictor of LOS for both samples after controlling for clinical variables. Two hospitals accounted for approximately 10% of the variance in both samples (development beta = .273, p < .01 and beta = -.169, p < .01). Two SASS agencies also consistently predicted LOS (development beta = -.134, p < .05 and beta = .102, p < .05). No consistent changes in predictors of LOS occurred over time (FY98-FY01)., Conclusions: These findings suggest that nonclinical variables are the primary predictors of LOS in the Illinois system of care. In addition, these variables are consistent predictors over time. Quality assurance efforts might seek to further understand potential practice pattern variations across hospitals and SASS agencies.

While there is a growing literature on mental illness stigma and strategies for reducing stigma among adults, less is known about how children and adolescents view persons with mental illness. In this paper, we describe the Attitudes Toward Serious Mental Illness Scale-Adolescent Version (ATSMI-AV) and our initial examinations of its factor structure and variations among subgroups of adolescents. Findings suggest that strategies aimed at reducing stigma in this age group would be wise to specifically target categorical thinking about mental health and mental illness and perceptions of persons with mental illness being violent and out of control.