Adolescent patients who visit the emergency department at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for physical injuries are asked to complete a short computer survey that assesses their mental health, according to a Newsworks report.
The survey was created to uncover mental health concerns in young patients with the goal of preventing suicide or violence. The information gathered in the questionnaire links to the patient's EHR and answers that imply emotional distress are flagged, allowing medical staffers to ask the patients more questions or provide support.
Currently, about 30 to 40 percent of the patients age 14 and older who visit the ED and are healthy enough to complete the survey are asked to do so, but the hospital is working on integrating the tool into the staff's workload for every adolescent, according to the report.
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