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. 2023 Apr 1;76(4):447-450.
doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000003687. Epub 2022 Dec 29.

Telehealth for Pediatric Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Joel B Winnick  1   2 , Leigh Chancey  3 , Jessica Buzenski  4 , Kritika Sukumar  1 , Dean R Focht 3rd  1   5 , Benjamin R Kuhn  1   5 , Saniya Tabani  1 , Nicole E Zahka  6 , Sara E Williams  6   7
Affiliations

Telehealth for Pediatric Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Joel B Winnick et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. .

Abstract

A retrospective chart review was completed to examine psychological treatment duration and response among pediatric patients with a disorder of gut-brain interaction including functional abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was delivered via telehealth with a licensed psychologist or supervised psychology trainee embedded in a pediatric gastroenterology clinic. Participants were 22 youth (mean age = 14.36 years) who received CBT via telehealth between February and September of 2021, after completing an initial evaluation between February and July of 2021. Patients completed reliable and valid self-report measures of functional disability and pain during treatment. A unique CBT model was employed with an initial focus on psychoeducation and function regardless of level of severity of functional impairment. Consistent with study hypotheses, nonparametric statistical analyses demonstrated statistically significant reductions in functional disability and pain following implementation of the CBT model via telehealth. Contrary to predictions, there was no relation found between severity of functional impairment and duration of treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

N.E.Z. and S.E.W. are authors of Treating Somatic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents (2017), Guilford Press, and receive royalty payments. S.E.W. is also an author for Magination Press. The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

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Graphical abstract
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