Looking for Lessons Learned-Screening in Primary Care

Hi, Julie:

We'll include your request in the next daily digest. And we'll be really interested to see how ACEs screening works in your center.

Thanks!

Cheers, Jane

I am curious at the FQHC who will your screener be primarily screening. 

 

Adults

Parents of Children

Teenagers

Pregnant Mothers 

(all comers)

 

That makes a difference.  But also a letter to the effect that we screen all patients because new research shows that adverse experiences in childhood result in medical and mental health concerns and we want to provide the best care for our patients so this history is important to us and will be kept confidential.  Also is this screening to identify patients who could benefit from mental health care????  I am curious because I haven't seen ACEs screening used in mental health (but I have used it extensively with parents bringing in children for behavioral health concerns to get an idea of the parents risk due to their childhood but also take the relevant questions to present risk -- for example domestic violence, mental illness currently, addiction currently, physical abuse currently… you really cannot ask the parent of sexual abuse currently in the pedi patient obviously you are a mandated reporter and no one would answer that or they would bring in the child specifically for that reason….. 

 

Anyway those are a few questions I have and thoughts. 

 

Let me know. I am kind of interested in finding a group of ACEs screeners. This is important work to me… And there isn't lots of interest here. 

 

We kind of got the SEEK (safe environment for every kid) not totally in place but at least there is a large awareness. --- Howard Dubowitz University of Maryland…. 

 

Thanks Tina

Hi Tina and Jane,

Thanks so much for your responses. Our program is called SCAN - Score, Connect and Nurture - named before I had heard of SEEK and has the different focus of childhood ACES,...we will screen all parents with newborns and children up to age 5 who access the outpatient clinic. We expect about 400 screenings in our pilot which begins July 1. Tina, I really like your idea of a letter indicating the screening - is this in your intake paperwork? Or a mailing/posting? Thanks, Julie

I use a modified version of the developmental intake from Riley Children's Hospital Developmental Pediatrics Dept. and I have the ACE questions with that along with a paragraph explaining what I said above before the questions and why we are asking them. This is how the SEEK questionnaire also starts the process ...with a small and concise paragraph explaining the why of the questions and that they are given to everyone which is important so people understand and I think it is really important for parents to know that we are interest about ACEs because they affect mental and physical health and well-being.

The pediatricians at the Children's Clinic in Portland include an introduction to the ACEs screening they're using for parents of four-month-olds. You can find more information here.

http://acestoohigh.com/2014/07/29/to-prevent-childhood-trauma-pediatricians-screen-children-and-their-parentsand-sometimes-just-parents/