Cross-national child psychiatry exchange: a scoping review

A scoping review of clinical exchanges in child and adolescent psychiatry found that pilot programmes increased awareness of similarities and differences in practice, highlighted interactions between clinical work, culture and mental health services, and supported professional development. The review examined cross-national expertise exchanges involving clinicians, trainees or teams working with children and adolescents from birth to 18 years. Its objective was to map cross-national clinical exchange in the specialty and summarise reported benefits, challenges and effects on clinical practice.

Following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reporting under PRISMA-ScR guidance, the authors searched PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science for publications issued from January 2015 through October 2025. Eligible findings were then synthesised thematically. Twenty-one articles reached full-text assessment, but three met the inclusion criteria.

These studies represented three different national settings: the United States, India and the Netherlands. Across the included reports, exchange programmes were associated by their participants with greater awareness of both shared clinical problems and differences among settings. Participants also recognised more clearly how culture and the organisation of mental health care interact with clinical practice.

Professional development emerged as a third major theme in the thematic synthesis. These results describe the benefits reported in a small set of pilot studies rather than a demonstrated effect on care. The review does not establish that cross-national exchanges improve treatment decisions, service delivery or health outcomes for children and adolescents.

Nor can its three included studies identify a universally preferable programme design or determine which exchange format works best for particular participants or settings. The findings are also constrained by the limited number and geographic scope of eligible publications, which prevents strong conclusions about the reach or consistency of the observed themes. The authors recommend further research to assess the added value and cost-effectiveness of cross-national exchange formats and to examine which approaches suit which participants and settings.

The review was preregistered on the Open Science Framework, and its authors state that additional evidence is needed to clarify the value of the programmes. In its current form, the evidence supports a cautious conclusion: cross-national clinical exchange in child psychiatry can raise awareness of cultural and health-system differences and contribute to professional learning, but the review does not demonstrate downstream clinical benefits.

Subject of Research: Scoping review of cross-national clinical exchange in child and adolescent psychiatry

Article Title: Cross-national clinical exchange in child psychiatry across cultural contexts and mental health systems: a scoping review

Article References: de Veen, B. T. H., Bringmann, K. F., Herpers, P. C. M., Staal, W. G., Scholte, R. H. J., van Dongen-Boomsma, M., & Deschamps, P. (2026). Cross-national clinical exchange in child psychiatry across cultural contexts and mental health systems: a scoping review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-10356-x

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DOI: 10.1186/s12909-026-10356-x

Keywords: child psychiatry, cross-national exchange, scoping review, cultural context, mental health systems, clinical education, professional development, United States, India, Netherlands, Cross-national, clinical