Home > COVID-19-related consultation-liaison (CL) mental health services in general hospitals: a perspective from Europe and beyond.

Schaefert, Rainer and Stein, Barbara and Meinlschmidt, Gunther and Roemmel, Noa and Blanch, Jordi and Boye, Birgitte and Carqueja, Eduardo and De Matteis, Tiziano and Dineen, Peter and Doherty, Anne M and Ferrari, Silvia and Lanvin, Victoria and Lee, William and Lemmens, Gilbert M D and Lemogne, Cédric and Małyszczak, Krzysztof and Mendes-Pedro, António and Nejatisafa, Ali-Akbar and Räsänen, Sami and Rosen, Benjamin and Simões do Couto, Frederico and Syngelakis, Markos and Tarricone, Ilaria and Van der Feltz-Cornelis, Christina M and Huber, Christian G and Fazekas, Christian and Vitinius, Frank (2023) COVID-19-related consultation-liaison (CL) mental health services in general hospitals: a perspective from Europe and beyond. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 167, 111183. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2023.111183.

External website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic posed new challenges for integrated health care worldwide. Our study aimed to describe newly implemented structures and procedures of psychosocial consultation and liaison (CL) services in Europe and beyond, and to highlight emerging needs for co-operation.

METHODS: Cross-sectional online survey from June to October 2021, using a self-developed 25-item questionnaire in four language versions (English, French, Italian, German). Dissemination was via national professional societies, working groups, and heads of CL services.

RESULTS: Of the participating 259 CL services from Europe, Iran, and parts of Canada, 222 reported COVID-19 related psychosocial care (COVID-psyCare) in their hospital. Among these, 86.5% indicated that specific COVID-psyCare co-operation structures had been established. 50.8% provided specific COVID-psyCare for patients, 38.2% for relatives, and 77.0% for staff. Over half of the time resources were invested for patients. About a quarter of the time was used for staff, and these interventions, typically associated with the liaison function of CL services, were reported as most useful. Concerning emerging needs, 58.1% of the CL services providing COVID-psyCare expressed wishes for mutual information exchange and support, and 64.0% suggested specific changes or improvements that they considered essential for the future.

CONCLUSION: Over 80% of participating CL services established specific structures to provide COVID-psyCare for patients, their relatives, or staff. Mostly, resources were committed to patient care and specific interventions were largely implemented for staff support. Future development of COVID-psyCare warrants intensified intra- and inter-institutional exchange and co-operation.


Repository Staff Only: item control page