How to do Safety Screenings-Handout: How to do Safety Screenings

Handout: How to do Safety Screenings

Pdf Summary

This document provides information on how to conduct safety screenings with pediatric patients. The objectives of the document are to gain knowledge of appropriate methods and tools for screening for safety and to be able to apply strategies to increase effective communication among different age groups.<br /><br />The document explains the importance of safety screenings, which help determine current and future risk levels, provide early detection, and allow for the implementation of prevention and intervention services. It also discusses the function and limitations of screening tools, including concerns about investigation/interrogation, effective implementation, cultural appropriateness, and adverse effects such as stress, anxiety, and trauma.<br /><br />The document covers different types of screening, including substance use and violence screenings. It provides statistics on pediatric substance use concerns, such as the prevalence of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use among adolescents, and the long-term impacts of substance abuse on growth, brain development, and mental health.<br /><br />The document also discusses child abuse concerns, including statistics on child abuse cases, risk factors, and protective factors. It highlights the importance of community violence screenings and provides statistics on exposure to violence among children and its long-term impacts.<br /><br />The document emphasizes the value of open-ended questions in screening procedures and provides examples of screening tools, such as the CRAFFT screening tool for substance use and triage questions for violence.<br /><br />It also addresses the importance of trauma-informed care and provides guidelines for conducting safety screenings, including building rapport, using conversational approaches, creating a comfortable environment, and practicing focused listening.<br /><br />The document concludes with information on documentation, mandated reporting of child abuse and gun/stabbing violence, and reminders on communication do's and don'ts. It provides contact information for the authors and lists references for further reading.

Keywords

safety screenings

pediatric patients

screening tools

substance use screenings

violence screenings

child abuse concerns

trauma-informed care

community violence screenings

documentation

mandated reporting