Medical Subspecialty Clinic Consultation-Liaison

Shifting management of pediatric chronic illness from the acute setting to subspecialty clinics has occurred in parallel with a greater focus on a more comprehensive approach to chronic illness management. Several theories have been proposed to guide disease management and decrease deleterious health-related outcomes and increase quality of life. One of the most researched models, the Chronic Care Model, identifies several focal areas that align well with pediatric psychology practice within subspecialty clinics. Pediatric psychologists can serve several roles within subspecialty clinics including improving team collaboration and increasing patient self-management. The wide-ranging spectrum of opportunities, frequent collaboration, broad range of applied skills, and ability to often see patients over a longer period of time make the subspecialty clinic an evolving and exciting setting for consultation-liaison pediatric psychologists. Using a pediatric diabetes clinic as a model, this chapter addresses assessment and intervention strategies and describes requisite competencies and skills needed in subspecialty clinics employing the Chronic Care Model.