Objective: Our study aims to understand the difficulties experienced by child and adolescent psychiatry specialists following the implementation of the Regulation on the Evaluation of Special Needs for Children (ÇÖZGER) and to provide a basis for solutions in this process.Method: Child and adolescent psychiatrists working across Turkey participated in the study.
A 17-item, 5-point Likert-type questionnaire developed by the researchers was administered to the physicians. The questionnaire included difficulties related to the diagnostic process, rating process, psychometric assessments, referral to ÇÖZGER, and other challenges faced by child and adolescent psychiatry specialists.Results: Difficulties experienced in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry during the implementation process of ÇÖZGER were highlighted; moreover, significant relationships were found between the physicians’ age, years of experience, academic title, type of institution, weekly number of patients/committees, and the challenges encountered in ÇÖZGER applications.Conclusion: The findings are guiding in terms of reviewing the current implementation and shedding light on new regulations.