While the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in clinical pediatric populations is high, only a few studies have systematically examined child psychiatry consultations to pediatric inpatients. This paper reviews this body of literature and indicates important areas for further study. Some of the studies did not report basic data such as the number of consults, age, sex, or race of referrals, and referral rate. Without such basic data, it is impossible to make adequate comparisons between studies. Several studies did not report economic status or admission diagnosis of the child, psychiatric intervention/treatment on the ward, or psychiatric referral after discharge. Mostly the samples were small, including data on less than 100 inpatient consults. There is a need for greater consistency in the classification of reasons for referral, so that accurate and meaningful comparisons can be made across sites. The examination of psychiatric diagnoses was complicated by the wide range of diagnostic classifications that have been used. Standardization on the DSM-III-R/IV diagnostic system would make for greater comparability between studies. It would be useful in planning for services if future studies included cost as well as efficacy studies with a randomized control group.