True or False
Completing screeners is optional.
True!
Screeners are not mandatory, but it’s important to emphasize the value of filling out the PROMs to our patients. PROM data helps us understand how patients are feeling, enabling us to better support their unique needs and improve clinical care delivery. Just like blood work, X-rays, or ultrasounds, PROMs provide valuable information that helps us make informed decisions about patient care.
The app that screeners are completed on.
Voxe
Approximately ___ in ___ children and youth in Ontario has a mental health challenge.
Approximately 1 in 5 children and youth in Ontario has a mental health challenge (Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario, 2024).
Patients will not have enough mental health resources/support after they complete their screeners.
False! Care recommendations corresponding to specific scores (none-minimal, mild, moderate, severe) are built into Epic for care teams to review. Same-day and referral resources for patient care can be accessed when needed. Included in the care recommendations are: MBC Social Work, Referral pathways (social work, psychiatry, adolescent medicine, SickKids CCMH), Acute Care Psychiatry (ACP), emotional well-being tool-kit.
The mental health screening on Voxe is for everyone to fill out, including caregivers.
False!
Fact: Youth ages 12-18 years old are being asked to complete the screeners only. Currently screeners are being implemented within select ambulatory clinics only. Stay tuned for further expansion plans.
Clinics will have one of these on hand if a patient doesn't have a phone to complete the screeners on.
iPad
Children with chronic conditions report ____ psychological distress than those without.
Children with chronic conditions report higher psychological distress than those without (Mental Health Strategy, 2025; Nibras et al., 2022)
Talking about suicide increases suicide risk.
False! Talking about suicide does not make someone suicidal. It gives them the space to talk about their feelings and access support (CAMH, 2025)
Completing mental health screeners takes a long time.
False!
While we don’t rush patients as they fill out the screeners, on average it takes just under 3 minutes to complete. Patients have shared it does not take long at all!
The names of the two validated tools used to screen patients.
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7).
The hospitalization rate for youth ages 14-17 with mental health and substance use concerns has increased by ____%.
The hospitalization rate for youth ages 14-17 with mental health and substance use concerns hasincreased by 136% (Lowe et al., 2024).
Only mental health professionals can talk about mental health.
False: Integrating mental health is one of SickKids' strategic priorities. As such, the mental health MBC initiative is a hospital-wide initiative to ensure holistic care for all of our patients. In short, incorporating mental health conversations into all clinical encounters is everyone’s responsibility!
Patients are asked to fill out the screeners every time they come to clinic.
False!
Patients are asked to fill out the screeners using Voxe once every 30 days, or at their next in person clinic visit – whichever comes later. The aim is to measure mental health at regular intervals so that we can assess and monitor symptoms effectively. For some patients who have infrequent clinic visits, this means they will complete their measures at each visit. For others, it will be more frequent with the shortest interval being 30 days.
The name of the screening tool used to screen for suicidality.
The ASQ (The Ask Suicide Questions). This is a validated screening tool designed to identify individuals at risk for suicide, and it only takes about 20 seconds to administer.
___% of children with a concurrent physical condition also have a mental health challenge.
40% of children with a concurrent physical condition also have a mental health challenge (MentalHealth Strategy, 2025; Nibras et al., 2022).
Patients have reported that they find MBC to be beneficial and helpful.
True! We have received positive feedback from patients that MBC has helped them to understand their mental health better and access support when they didn't know where else to turn.
Most patients screen high and/or endorse suicidality.
False!
Based on almost a year’s worth of data from SickKids Mental Health MBC initiative, we have found that majority of patients are screening in the none-minimal range on each of the PROMs, and at about 1/10th of visits are patients endorsing suicidality.
What happens after a patient completes the screening?
The provider will discuss the scores with the patient. Based on the patient's score, next steps can be discussed based on the MBC care recommendations (i.e providing the mental health and wellbeing toolkit or making a referral to access further service)
___% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence.
70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2025).
If a patient scored mild during their last screening, they don't need to be offered the screener again.
False! MBC is intended to track scores over time. A patient who was mild at one time might not necessarily always be mild, so it is important to encourage them to complete the screening again to check in (if it is after 30 days).