Competencies and training needs assessment in pediatric consultation-liaison psychiatry

The objectives were to: 1) obtain a national consensus on pediatric consultation-liaison psychiatry (PCLP) competencies; and 2) conduct a needs assessment to establish the interest in the development of online, self-based learning modules specific to PCLP. In 2017, a survey of AACAP members associated with the Physically Ill Child Committee (PICC) was conducted to generate a list of proposed core competencies in consultant-liaison psychiatry (CLP) that tracked the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies. In 2019, a follow-up assessment of PICC listserv members was conducted to evaluate barriers to teaching and interest in the development of a national teaching curriculum. Among the 200 members, 22% responded to the first survey, with 74% to 91% of the respondents endorsing an interest in learning resources, reading materials, and milestone-based assessment tools. Competencies in Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Professionalism, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Practice-based Learning, and System-based Practice were identified as specific to PCLP. In the second survey, there was a response rate of 28%. All respondents endorsed the need for standardized teaching materials in the common topics in PCLP, with highly ranked topics including catatonia, anti–N-methyl-D-aspartate (anti-NMDA) encephalitis, delirium, and psychiatric complications of medical illness. Respondents also expressed an interest in nationally developed competencies in PCLP. Given the wide variability in the nature of clinical practice and expertise in diverse PCLP programs, it is not always possible for trainees to be offered state-of-the-art teaching resources and content. However, with the expertise of AACAP PCLP faculty, there is the potential to create a library of curriculum resources to enhance and standardize educational practices in PCLP programs. The existence of these sources will help provide access to expert teaching materials and may also lead to ways to improve the evaluation of training practices and outcomes. The needs assessment demonstrates that new paradigms are needed to develop standardized curriculum and assessment resources for PCLP.