Prescription Privileges for Psychologists: Opinions of Pediatric Psychologists and Pediatricians

Objective To examine the opinions of pediatricians and pediatric psychologists concerning prescription privileges for psychologists. Methods 213 pediatric psychologists and 119 pediatricians returned surveys regarding their opinions about cost, access, and quality of psychological care if psychologists had prescription privileges. Results Pediatric psychologists had significantly more positive views of prescription privileges than pediatricians. Despite not being in favor of prescription privileges, most pediatricians said that prescription privileges would not negatively impact their professional relationship, although 37 % said it would. Conclusion Pediatric psychologists and pediatricians differ significantly in their opinions about prescription privileges for psychologists. The implications of these findings for the working relationship between these two disciplines are discussed. Key words opinion survey; pediatricians; prescription privileges; professional collaboration. Since 1995, obtaining prescription privileges for psychol-ogists has been a major initiative of the American Psychological Association (APA). During the last few years there have been numerous task forces, training programs, and legislation directed toward this goal (Daw