4.3 addressing substance use as part of usual care in pediatric emergency medicine

Before the age of 18 years, 9 of 10 people start using substances. Despite efforts to provide comprehensive health care, screening for substance use is not a standard element of care in pediatric emergency departments (EDs). As part of the efforts for early detection and intervention, we expanded universal alcohol and substance use screening beyond adults to include patients aged 12 to 18 years at the largest Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in New York. This ED sees 60,000 patients a year, of whom 25 percent are adolescents in the age range for substance use screening.
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research