Pediatric Psychiatric Pretransplant Evaluation

Abstract

Review of the literature on the adult psychiatric pretransplant evaluation suggests that transplant programs routinely use psychosocial evaluations as a component of their assessment and to screen transplant recipients. Despite the increasing availability of organ transplantation in the pediatric population, there is a paucity of literature describing or empirically validating the pediatric psychiatric pretransplant evaluation. In this article, we describe the protocol for the assessment of pediatric organ transplant recipients used at Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. We outline both the assessment protocol and relevant domains of inquiry. We conclude with recommendations for further research and the development of standardized assessment measures designed for the pediatric population.