News: Bed capacity for pediatric inpatient psychiatric care not meeting demand, study shows

Pediatric inpatient psychiatric bed capacity did not change from 2017 to 2020, and the number of beds varied widely by state, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics. The study also showed that nonprofit and general medical hospitals most frequently offered pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds, MedPage Today reported.

Researchers looked at more than 6,000 United States hospitals and found the median number of pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds per 100,000 children across states was 15, ranging from zero beds in Alaska to 75 in Arkansas. Hospitals with pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds were most often located in urban areas, representing 91.3% of bed capacity. Of the 11,276 total beds counted, 52.2% were in free-standing psychiatric hospitals (34.9% at general psychiatric hospitals and 17.3% at children's psychiatric hospitals), and 23% of beds were in hospitals specializing in pediatric care.

“The findings from this work highlight the importance of ensuring that all children have access to high-quality mental health care, regardless of where they live,” Anna Cushing, MD, of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, co-author of the study, told MedPage Today.

Researchers also found that higher statewide median household income and a higher percentage of Hispanic population were associated with fewer beds per capita.

“Further research will be needed to quantify how many pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds are needed to meet demand,” Cushing said. “Additionally, we need to understand whether the geographic variation we identified leads to worse outcomes for children living in areas with fewer pediatric inpatient psychiatric beds.”

Editor’s note: To read MedPage Today’s coverage of this story, click here. To read the JAMA Pediatrics study, click here. To learn about how CDI can make an impact on pediatric behavioral health documentation, listen to this episode on the ACDIS Podcast.