Pediatric Symptom Checklist
Understand how to use the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) and get access to a free PDF template.
Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.
What is a Pediatric Symptom Checklist?
Pediatric emotional health and physical health are two essential parts of childhood development, and require careful nurturing and monitoring throughout childhood and adolescence. In developmental and behavioral pediatrics, research has shown that children who are emotionally healthy can cope better with the challenges of growing up and developing into adults. This includes recognizing and understanding their feelings, forming positive relationships, managing stress, and problem-solving.
Given that emotional and behavioral health problems are not always readily visible, it can be difficult to assess mental health and development. To help support mental health and behavioral health screening, the pediatric symptom checklist (PSC) was devised to assess the emotional health of children.
The PSC stems from the pediatric screening questionnaire, a well-established resource that has been utilized for over 30 years to screen children for possible mental and behavioral problems. This resource lists items that are designed to reflect mental and behavioral health, which are added to produce a total score. These scores are typically presented as either positive scores or outside of the cutoff scores, from which health practitioners such as a child psychiatrist or mental health professional, can devise a mental health treatment plan to address any concerns.
By using the PSC, health care professionals and mental health services have an effective resource to assess children's physical and emotional health. In having this valuable insight, health care services can identify children who may be experiencing difficulties in psychosocial functioning, behavioral health, mental or emotional emotional health. This is likely to inform more effective treatments to better support pediatriac patients, making it an invaluable tool for healthcare providers.
Printable Pediatric Symptom Checklist
Download this Pediatric Symptom Checklist to assess children's emotional health.
How does it work?
The printable Pediatric Symptom Checklist asks patients, parents, or guardians to mark how often a child exhibits certain behaviors and experiences. The checklist contains 35 questions to help healthcare providers assess a child's emotional health. Here's how to use this template:
Step One: Download the PSC
Get a copy our free Pediatric Symptoms Checklist here, or download a PDF version for a physical copy by following the link below:
Download our free printable Pediatric Symptom Checklist PDF here.
Step Two: Give the patient, guardian, or parent a copy
Explain the purpose of the questionnaire and provide instructions on how to fill it out. Make sure to answer any questions they may have before proceeding to the next step.
Step Three: Patient, parent, or guardian completes the checklist
Ask your patient, their parent, or guardian to complete the PSC, checking off boxes for each of the 35 items. It's important to remember that this is a screening tool and not a diagnostic tool.
Step Four: Review the answers with your patient
Discuss the results of the PSC with your patient and their guardian or parent. This will help you determine if further action needs to be taken to properly assess and treat the child.
Step Five: Follow up with an additional assessment
Based on the PSC results, you may recommend further assessments or tests to gain insight into the child's health. This could include a psychological evaluation, psychosocial screening, educational testing, or medical imaging exams.
Pediatric Symptom Checklist scoring
Once the PSC is completed, the total score can be determined by assigning zero, one, or two points to each of its 35 items. A score of 28 or higher is considered at-risk and indicates that further assessment is needed (Jellinek et al., 1999; Murphy et al., 2016).
However, it should be noted that different patient populations have been the subject of other studies supporting alternative cutoff points. Ultimately, healthcare professionals must consider all relevant research when interpreting PSC results.
Pediatric Symptom Checklist example (sample)
We have included a Pediatric Symptom Checklist PDF to help you understand how this template works. You may use the sample as a reference or for educational purposes. You can view it here or download the PDF version.
Download the free Pediatric Symptom Checklist Example (sample):
When would you use this template?
The Pediatric Symptom Checklist is most useful when screening children aged 4-18 for mental health issues. It can be used in primary care or psychiatric settings, as well as in school and home settings. You can also use this template to:
Help assess the severity of a child's mental health symptoms
The PSC template can help determine if a child is at risk for specific mental health problems, such as depression. It can also gauge the severity of symptoms and guide how to best intervene with treatment.
Identify potential triggers of mental health issues
The PSC template can help identify specific things that may contribute to or cause-specific mental health issues, such as anxiety. Common triggers can range from family dynamics and stress, to medical conditions and substance use. By identifying potential triggers, it is possible to better understand the cause of the child's symptoms and intervene accordingly.
Monitor changes in the mental health of the child over time
By regularly using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, you can track changes in the child's mental health symptoms and adjust treatment accordingly.
Track the effectiveness of treatments
The PSC template is also helpful for monitoring the effectiveness of mental health interventions and treatments. Tracking scores on the checklist over time makes it possible to gauge how well a treatment is working or if changes in treatment are needed.
Why use Carepatron as your Pediatric Symptom Checklist app?
For an easy and seamless practice management experience, Carepatron is the answer. Our Pediatric Symptom Checklist Software can help you stay on top of your busy practice and ensure that all your young patients get the care they deserve.
With our Pediatric Symptom Checklist app, you can access comprehensive symptom tracking across individual or multiple patients, so you know where everyone stands health-wise every step of the way. Track symptoms over time, set back-to-back appointments, and provide the best care possible with our software's sophisticated capabilities.
Our platform is designed with your convenience in mind. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate and accessible from any device. You can also be confident that our HIPAA-compliant tools and security measures will protect your data.
For a practice management experience that goes beyond the ordinary, trust Carepatron. Get started today and take your practice to the next level!
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References
Jellinek MS, Murphy JM, Robinson J, Feins A, Lamb S, Fenton T. Pediatric Symptom Checklist: screening school-age children for psychosocial dysfunction. J Pediatr. 1988 Feb;112(2):201-9. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(88)80056-8. PMID: 3339501.
Massachusetts General Hospital. (n.d.). Pediatric Symptom Checklist. Retrieved July 11, 2023, from https://www.massgeneral.org/psychiatry/treatments-and-services/pediatric-symptom-checklist
Murphy JM, Bergmann P, Chiang C, Sturner R, Howard B, Abel MR, Jellinek M. The PSC-17: Subscale Scores, Reliability, and Factor Structure in a New National Sample. Pediatrics. 2016 Sep;138(3):e20160038. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-0038. Epub 2016 Aug 12. PMID: 27519444; PMCID: PMC5005018.
Commonly asked questions
Healthcare professionals, teachers, and parents use the Pediatric Symptom Checklist to screen for psychological and behavioral problems in children. It can be used for children of all ages to assess their mental health status.
The Pediatric Symptom Checklist is used to screen for psychological and behavioral problems in children. It can be used when a child's mental health needs to be evaluated, such as during regular check-ups or after periods of stress or trauma.
The Pediatric Symptom Checklist is a 35-item questionnaire that can be completed by the child, parents, or healthcare professionals. It is used to identify possible psychological and behavioral problems in children. The items cover a range of behavioral issues such as aggression, social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues.
