שימוש בפרקטיקה מבוססת ראיות לצורכי פיתוח, הטמעה, ויישום הערכה פסיכו-סוציאלית במחלקת שיקום ילדים

Background: In health systems, there is little evidence regarding the processes by which evidence-based assessments and screenings are integrated into clinical practice.Aim: The current study aimed to describe the development, assimilation, and implementation of an evidence-based psychosocial assessment within a pediatric rehabilitation department where children undergo treatment after traumatic medical events.Method: The article describes a two-stage process for developing and integrating evidence-based assessment: first, preparation work conducted in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Department stakeholders; second, the development of a support system for the early stages of implementation. A psychosocial assessment was conducted among 436 families based on the following questionnaires: Child’s posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) (child self-report, parent report, therapist report); parents’ PTSS (mother and father self-reports, therapist report); and a psychosocial assessment tool (PAT) (parent report) for the screening of psychosocial risk factors. Findings: Families and department staff collaborated in the process of assimilating the psychosocial assessment protocol. The evaluation findings indicated that 29% of the children, about 25.7% of the mothers, and about 18% of the fathers reported PTSS above the clinical threshold. The three-tiered level of risk revealed that 47% of the families were classified as low-risk (universal), 39% as moderate risk (targeted), and 14.5% as high-risk (clinical).Conclusions: It is essential to integrate clinical knowledge and the latest evidence from the literature, as well as to consider patients’ attitudes and perceptions when performing psychosocial assessments in pediatric rehabilitation departments. In the public health system, this integration is crucial for making professional therapeutic decisions based on the latest evidence.