Children's Hospital Los Angeles researchers found there has been no significant increase in pediatric inpatient hospital beds since 2017.
The study, published Aug. 19 in JAMA Pediatrics, analyzed the American Hospital Association Survey Database from 2017 to 2020, focusing on hospitals that reported having pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds. The study estimated changes in the number of hospitals with pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds and the overall bed count by location.
Over the past decade, the number of adult and pediatric emergency department visits involving mental health concerns has increased. Among children, the average rate of mental health-related ED visits was 14.0 per 100,000 from 2018 to 2020, according to CDC data.
Here are four other findings:
- Access to inpatient pediatric psychiatric beds varied by state, with zero beds in Alaska to 75 beds per 100,000 children in Arkansas.
- About half of beds were in free-standing psychiatric hospitals, compared with 17% of beds in children's psychiatric hospitals and 23% of beds in hospitals specializing in pediatric care.
- Almost 89% of pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds are in urban areas.
- The number of beds rose from 11,107 to 11,276, while the number of hospitals went from 398 to 400.