A modified Delphi consensus process involving 23 expert partners (including parents, clinicians, and people with lived experience) to identify top-priority research questions for acute pediatric mental and behavioral health emergencies in out-of-hospital and ED settings.
Of 76 initial research priorities, consensus was reached on 51; 31 were designated top-tier, spanning out-of-hospital care models, ED boarding, brief interventions, de-escalation and medication for acute agitation, safety planning for suicide prevention, and post-discharge follow-up.
Consensus panels reflect the views of selected experts and may not generalize broadly; the Delphi method identifies priorities but does not itself generate or test evidence; family and lived-experience representation, while included, was limited to 5 of 23 partners.
Clinicians and researchers should direct efforts toward evidence gaps in de-escalation methods, safety planning effectiveness, and novel out-of-hospital response models for pediatric mental health crises. Post-discharge follow-up care was flagged as a high-priority area needing urgent study.
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