Collaboration Is Key to Improving Hospital Care for Patients With Medical and Psychiatric Comorbidity
ABSTRACT: Over the past 2 decades, hospitals have been increasingly called on to provide stabilization and treatment of pediatric patients with mental health symptoms. At least 1 in 10 hospitalized children >3 years has both a medical and a psychiatric condition, and the population of hospitalized patients with significant psychiatric morbidity is growing. Patients who have conditions affecting both their mental and physical health are in need of integrated medical and psychiatric treatments, and hospitals report challenges ensuring teams are prepared to care for these patients. In this month’s Hospital Pediatrics, Ibeziako et al provide a new window into understanding the characteristics of patients with eating disorders and somatoform disorders with an eye toward advancing the quality of their inpatient care.