Objectives: Improved mental health services for children and teens are urgently needed. These concerns were mirrored in the findings of the KySS survey by children/teens, parents, and healthcare providers alike. The purpose of this paper is to describe the current evidence-based practice and research strategic planning initiatives that have evolved as a result of the findings from the national KySS survey.
Design/Methods: Funding for the next phase of the KySS campaign was secured from the Health Resources Services Administration/Maternal-Child Health Bureau (MCHB). This funding will support a national KySS Summit that will convene a panel of 50 interdisciplinary mental health experts to plan intervention strategies to promote the mental health of children and teens as well as a KySS core curriculum for nurse practitioner and medical school programs. Funding from the MCHB also will support a national three-day intensive evidence-based workshop for pediatric healthcare providers for the purpose of enhancing their mental health screening and early intervention practices. A pilot intervention study is another initiative underway for the purpose of evaluating the effects of: (a) a primary care intervention tool kit designed to meet healthcare providers’ assessment needs and the educational needs of children, teens, and their parents, and (b) access to a child psychiatric nurse practitioner for consultation surrounding healthcare providers’ screening and intervention practices.
Findings: Specific action strategies from the KySS Summit as well as preliminary data from the pilot study will be presented.
Conclusions/Implications: There has never been greater urgency to implement evidence-based practice strategies for the early identification, prevention, and treatment of these problems by primary care providers. Driven by the evidence from the KySS survey, the next phase of the KySS campaign has the potential for improving assessment and intervention strategies of primary care providers and promoting mental health of children and their families.
Back to Promoting Mental Health in Children and Teens: Findings and Clinical Implications from the National KySS Survey
Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003