Tuğba ACEHAN, Yusuf Selman ÇELİK, Sarper İÇEN, Şeyma GÜRBÜZ, Ecem Selin Akbaş ALİYEV, Sidre Nur KARAKOLCU, Reyyan NAZLIGÜL, Dilge SÖYLEMEZ, Meryem KAŞAK, Ayşegül EFE, Yusuf ÖZTÜRK
Health Sciences Quarterly - 2026;6(4):907-918
The aim of this study was to describe the frequency, distribution, and reasons for consultations during inpatient treatment in child and adolescent psychiatry, and to evaluate diagnostic changes between admission and discharge. This retrospective, single-center study included 252 children and adolescents hospitalized in the child and adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit of Ankara Etlik City Hospital between November 1, 2024 and November 1, 2025. Demographic characteristics, admission and discharge DSM-5-TR diagnoses, consulted departments, reasons for consultation, and number of consultations were extracted from the hospital electronic record system. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and McNemar's test. The mean age was 15.54 +/- 1.82 years. Three-quarters of patients (75.0%) required at least one consultation during hospitalization, and 41.7% required three or more. Social services was the most frequently consulted department (44.8%), and legal or protective concerns were the most common reason for consultation (34.5%). Clinically meaningful diagnostic changes were observed between admission and discharge: neurodevelopmental disorders and anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders more than doubled, while psychotic spectrum diagnoses showed a marked decline. Within-patient analysis revealed that 58 patients (24.3%) showed a change in diagnostic category between admission and discharge. In the child and adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit, multidisciplinary involvement appears to be a common feature, the service interfaces closely with protective welfare systems, and the inpatient stay provides a meaningful opportunity for diagnostic clarification. These findings suggest that capacity planning should jointly address the treatment, diagnostic clarification, and medical-social coordination functions of the inpatient unit.
