Psychological Screening and Consultation in a Pediatric Diabetes Clinic: Medical Providers’ Perspectives

Abstract

Objective: Psychosocial concerns are common among youth with Type I diabetes; psychosocial screening and integrated care models can address these concerns. Medical providers are key stakeholders, but their perspectives on the role of mental health within pediatric diabetes care represent a gap in the literature. This study aimed to describe pediatric diabetes care providers’ views on the relationship between psychosocial stress and diabetes, their experiences with psychosocial screening and psychological consultation within their clinic, and their suggestions for mental health professionals working with youth who have diabetes. Method: All endocrinologists, fellows, and diabetes educators involved with psychosocial screening and psychology consultations ( N = 7; 71.4% female, 42.9% Hispanic/Latinx White, 28.6% Non-Hispanic/Latinx White, 28.6% Asian) at a single outpatient pediatric diabetes clinic participated in semistructured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed via thematic content analysis. Results: Providers described a bidirectional relationship between psychosocial stress and diabetes management. They expressed positive views of psychosocial screening and the clinic’s integrated psychology team, which allow them to focus on the medical aspect of care and gain comfort with mental health. Providers offered suggestions to improve coordination and communication with mental health professionals. Conclusions: Pediatric diabetes care providers valued psychosocial screening and benefited from collaboration with the clinic psychology team. Clinics without access to mental health professionals may struggle to sustain screening practices. Eliciting medical providers’ opinions and using other implementation science strategies are important for incorporating psychosocial screening and intervention within pediatric diabetes clinics, especially for clinics with unique models for psychological services. Implications for Impact Statement Medical providers in a pediatric diabetes clinic reported positive views of psychosocial screening and psychology consultations. Interdisciplinary collaboration with mental health professionals may promote medical providers’ comfort, confidence, and competence navigating their patients’ mental health concerns and ultimately improve care for youth with Type I diabetes mellitus. Obtaining medical providers’ perspectives is important for effective implementation of psychosocial screening procedures in diabetes clinics with varying models for access to mental health services.