Survey of admission policies for child and adolescent inpatient services: a national sample.

In a national sampling of child inpatient directors, survey responses suggested variability in the use of many admission criteria. Yet, severity of symptoms, potential effectiveness of outpatient treatment, and extent of medical complications appeared to be commonly used admission criteria. DSM-III diagnoses were inconsistently used admission criteria, and many diagnoses were considered suitable for admission in extenuating circumstances only.