Utilizing Physician Screening Questions for Detecting Anxiety Among Food-Allergic Pediatric Patients

Objective. To explore the utility of clinician screening for anxiety in pediatric food-allergic patients. Study Design. In Phase I, 39 patients completed an anxiety questionnaire while their allergists completed a companion questionnaire estimating their patient’s responses. Allergists then attended an educational workshop to improve their anxiety detection. In Phase II, following the workshop, questionnaires were completed by an additional 39 patients and their allergists. Results. The percentage of clinician questionnaires with a “do not know” response decreased from 70% to 5% after the workshop. Correlation between allergists’ and children’s responses remained nonsignificant (r = .314, P = .321) before the workshop and after (r = .303, P = .068) and only 25% of patients who reported elevated anxiety were identified. Additionally, clinicians expressed poor acceptability of the screening. Conclusions. After the workshop, clinicians did not more accurately detect anxiety and found the process intrusive. Alternative methods for uncovering anxiety among high-risk patients are needed.