The psychologist as an interconsultant on the pneumology ward of teaching hospital

characterization of the requests for psychological care

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to characterize the requests for psychological care presented to an Consultation Psychology Service on a Pneumology ward of a Teaching Hospital, by analyzing the forms for interconsultation requests (PI). The PIs submitted during a period of 3 semesters were analyzed in terms of total number of patients, sex and age distribution, reason for the request, and referral of the case. The results showed that psychological consultation was requested for 11.3% of the patients admitted to the ward during the study period. Male gender and age range from 50 to 69 years predominated among these patients. Among the reasons for the requests there was a predominance of reference to the following categories: neoplastic pulmonary disease, depressive symptoms, lack of compliance with treatment, anxiety symptoms, somatic disorders, difficulty in adapting to the hospital, and presence of a previous chronic disease. With respect to referral, there was a predominance of indication of support psychotherapy, followed by family orientation. A demand for psychological care was observed on the Pneumology ward and was adequately perceived by the medical team, especially in the presence of diseases in which the emotional component is relevant both at the onset of the disease and in terms of coping with it, and in situations in which symptoms of greater psychic fragility, such as depression, are already present. We conclude that, within this hospital context, the field of activity of the psychologist is clearly defined: to improve the quality of patient care by devoting attention to the psychosocial aspects involved in the situation of being ill and hospitalized.