Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Clin Neuropsychol. 2020 Oct-Nov;34(7-8):1367-1379. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2020.1806359. Epub 2020 Aug 13.
As the coronavirus pandemic extends across the globe, the impacts have been felt across domains of industry. Neuropsychology services are no exception. Methods for neuropsychological assessments, which typically require an in-person visit, must be modified in order to adhere to social distancing and isolation standards enacted in an effort to slow the pandemic. How can providers continue to meet the needs of patients referred for neuropsychology evaluations, while respecting federal and state guidelines for safety and ethical mandates? We offer a novel, tiered model of care, successfully implemented in response to mandated social distancing, in a large, pediatric neuropsychology program. We describe the considerations and challenges to be addressed in transitioning a large neuropsychology department to a new model of care, including triaging referrals, developing -or rediscovering - types of services to meet the needs of a virtual patient population, and helping patients, parents, and providers to adjust to these new models. Lessons learned as a function of rapid changes in care models have implications for the field of neuropsychology as a whole as well as for future flexibility in meeting the needs of pediatric patients and their families.
随着冠状病毒疫情在全球范围内的蔓延，其影响已经波及到各个行业领域。神经心理学服务也不例外。通常需要面对面访问的神经心理学评估方法必须进行修改，以遵守为减缓疫情而颁布的社交距离和隔离标准。在尊重联邦和州关于安全和伦理规定的前提下，从业者如何继续满足转介接受神经心理学评估的患者的需求？我们提供了一种新颖的、分层的护理模式，在一项大型儿科神经心理学计划中，成功地针对强制性的社交距离措施进行了实施。我们描述了将大型神经心理学部门过渡到新护理模式所涉及的考虑因素和挑战，包括对转介进行分类、开发或重新发现满足虚拟患者群体需求的服务类型，以及帮助患者、家长和提供者适应这些新模式。作为护理模式快速变化的结果而获得的经验教训不仅对整个神经心理学领域具有意义，而且对未来满足儿科患者及其家庭的需求的灵活性也具有意义。
