Introduction: Caregivers of children with chronic medical conditions experience higher distress levels (Cousino & Hazen, 2013); supporting a child with a solid organ transplant can be particularly stressful (Cushman et al., 2021). The present study aims to pilot the implementation of caregiver distress questionnaires amongst caregivers of pediatric liver transplant patients to systematically assess caregiver distress and triage to desired psychotherapeutic supports.  

Method: Implementation of two questionnaires for caregivers within the pediatric liver transplant clinic began in November 2025; four caregivers completed the PIP-SF prior to implementation of the second questionnaire. Questionnaire 1: Pediatric Inventory of Parents – Short Form (PIP-SF;Larson et al., 2020; Streisand et al., 2001). The PIP-SF provides frequency and difficulty scores across several domains related to their child’s medical diagnosis (Communication, Medical Care, Emotional Distress, Role Function). Questionnaire 2 items: distress level; interest in caregiver supports (e.g., individual, child, group support); a item for caregivers who indicated no support was needed to share why. Level of distress was rated on a  likert scale from 1 (no distress) to 5 (extreme distress). 

Results: Please see Figure 1. Implementation will continue, with an estimated additional 15 families screened. Additional variables to be examined prior to SPLIT presentation include: patient age; setting (inpatient versus outpatient); time since transplant; impact on referral to psychology services.  

Conclusion: Results indicate the need for increased attention to caregiver distress and accessibility of individual caregiver-based psychotherapeutic support. Additionally, results highlight the importance of multidisciplinary support in normalizing and increasing understanding of caregiver distress levels across medical care teams.