Book Review Consulting with Pediatricians: Psychological Perspectives. By Dennis Drotar, with contributions by Peggy Crawford, Carin Cunningham, Linda K. Hurley, & Susan L. Rosenthal. Plenum Press, New York, 1995, 250 pp.
As the acute care model that has dominated 20th century medicine shifts toward a more preventative one, the behavioral, social, and emotional components of illness are receiving increasing attention. In addition to the birth of new health fields, such as clinical health psychology, this development has led to an increase in collaborative activities between mental health professionals and physicians. Consulting with Pediatricians: Psychological Perspectives, by Dennis Drotar, examines the process of collaboration from the perspective of a pediatric psychologist with over 20 years' experience in the areas of clinical service, research, and teaching. The author's primary goal is to facilitate the collaborative process between psychologists and pediatricians and his primary method for accomplishing that goal is to identify the benefits of and barriers to interprofessional collaboration. Drotar begins Part 1 of the book with a basic orientation to collaborative activity. He briefly summarizes the history of pediatrics, the evolution of a behavioral and developmental approach to pediatric health problems, and the natural emergence of opportunities for pediatricians and psychologists to collaborate (Chapter 1). He then describes the variables involved in collaborative activities (e.g., type of setting, goals) and various models of collaboration, from the informal hallway consultation to the complex systems approach that is executed at a program level (Chapter 2). It is in this chapter that the author first describes the functioning of existing clinical and research programs that exemplify different models and highlight various issues of collaboration. The programs described throughout the book exist in different settings and maintain different goals, providing the reader with a broad perspective on collaborative activities. The use of such examples as opposed to imaginary, ideal situations reflects Drotar's pragmatic approach and his respect for the pressures that modern collaborative programs face (e.g., time, financial).