Improving Care for Children Affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences

Abstract

The deleterious health effects of ACEs are well documented in the literature. Addressing ACEs and the effects trauma may have on children is an important prevention strategy for individual and public health. The negative health consequences of trauma can be mitigated by children’s resiliency, and resiliency can be supported and developed. Standardized screening for trauma responses and subsequent referral for further behavioral health evaluation and treatment when appropriate aligns with recovery-oriented and trauma informed care models’ best practices. This quality improvement project implemented a screening and referral process for children ages 4 through 17 years of age in a rural but busy primary care clinic. The Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) was used as a screening tool to help identify children with possible symptoms of responses to trauma from ACEs, as well as other mental health issues, as part of their annual well child checks. The process implementation demonstrated that the PSC could be used efficiently and effectively as part of the well child check to identify children that needed further evaluation and possible behavioral health treatment.