A long road to go: Rural inpatient mental health research

Abstract

In the United States, it is estimated that approximately 1 in 10 children will require mental health services; however, there is also a shortage in the supply of pediatric mental health care providers in the country. This shortage is further exacerbated in rural areas, which forces families and patients to travel even greater distances for needed mental health care. In this volume of The Journal, Bettenhausen et al report the results of a retrospective cohort of rural children in the United States with a mental health hospitalization. There are few studies that focus on pediatric rural mental health issues. Bettenhausen et al document where children are receiving such inpatient care, as well as explore differences in outcomes based on the hospital location and type (children's hospital, metropolitan non-children's hospital, and rural hospital) (Figure). They found that only 1 in 5 children in rural areas who had a mental health hospitalization received care in a rural hospital. In addition, the authors found that the length of stay was higher at non-rural hospitals compared with rural hospitals; however, the 30-day readmission frequency was much lower at these non-rural hospitals. This is a descriptive study that has limitations, but it describes a potential gap in mental health care, based on readmission rates, provided by rural hospitals. Further work is needed to determine the reasons for such variation in outcomes, as well as develop and test new interventions. However, given the recent acceleration in the uptake of telemedicine, it may be possible to bridge geographic issues for isolated rural hospitals to mitigate differences in access to pediatric mental health professionals. More work needs to be done and this study in just one step in a long road ahead. Article page 240 ▸ Hospitalization Outcomes for Rural Children with Mental Health ConditionsThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 229PreviewTo identify where rural children with mental health conditions are hospitalized and to determine differences in outcomes based on location of hospitalization. Full-Text PDF