Screening pediatric patients to determine need for child life services using the pediatric emotional safety screener

There can be adverse psychosocial outcomes for children who have negative healthcare experiences. Identifying children’s risk for experiencing elevated distress early on when entering the healthcare setting would allow targeted, proactive support to help mitigate negative psychological sequelae. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Emotional Safety Screener (PESS), designed to screen for psychosocial distress for pediatric patients. A Child Life Department conducted a program evaluation, screening 1643 patients using the PESS in six different service areas including acute inpatient, critical care, emergency department, radiology, surgery, and ambulatory clinics. Certified child life specialists (CCLS) completed a Psychosocial Risk Assessment in Pediatrics (PRAP) and provided their assessment of priority level for child life support for each patient screened. Secondary analysis of the data evaluated the psychometric properties of the PESS. Findings indicated good internal consistency for the PESS. PESS scores significantly correlated with both PRAP scores and CCLS priority level. The PESS is a promising standardized method for health-care providers to screen pediatric patients' risk for experiencing significant distress during their healthcare visit to determine the need for support from a CCLS.