Time Management Strategies for Addressing Mental Health Concerns in the Pediatric Visit

Abstract

Addressing mental health concerns within the time constraints of a busy pediatric practice can be challenging. Increasingly, pediatricians are tasked to cover even more during a routine checkup, including any sleep and dietary concerns as well as screening for mental health problems, social influencers of health, and hand-on-door queries. Since the start of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, primary care physicians have reported an increase in anxiety and depression in their pediatric patients. We present time management strategies that facilitate the clinician's ability to confront these problems together with the family. These include setting an agenda, acknowledging the limited time, using shared decision-making to prioritize topics, and offering an opportunity for further discussion at a follow-up visit. Using the mnemonic HEL2P3 can provide guidance to balance a visit with competing issues. [ Pediatr Ann . 2023;52(11):e426–e429.]