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 approximately 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.