The PAT2.0 Total score is a useful screening tool for family psychosocial risk in the pediatric oncology population.

A brief screening tool (PAT) is valuable in identifying psychosocial risk factors at diagnosis and is predictive of later use of psychosocial resources. As a next step in this research, the development of psychosocial interventions to match family risk level may be an effective and cost-efficient approach to working with families to address their concerns and promote short- and long-term adjustment.

Our multidisciplinary team wrote and pilot-tested a brief assessment tool for families of newly diagnosed pediatric oncology patients to identify families at potential risk for elevated distress during treatment. The Psychosocial Assessment Tool (PAT) is a 20-item form assessing 10 potential risk domains: family structure, family resources, social support, child knowledge, school attendance, child emotional and behavioral concerns, child maturity for age, marital I family problems, family beliefs, and other stressors. PAT was administered to 107 families of patients over a 12-month period. Using descriptive statistics at this stage in instrument development, we identified potential highrisk responses across the major item categories. These pilot data suggest that PAT provides a feasible format for screening potential psychosocial risk in families of newly diagnosed pediatric oncology patients.

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