[The medico-psychological service in an internal medicine department as evaluated by the patients]

Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1977 Jan 29;107(4):122-6.
[Article in German]

Abstract

Where a medico-psychological liaison service is available, such as that run by the Inter Medicine Department, Zürich University Hospital, do the patients feel it meets their needs? To investigate this, the replies are analyzed to a questionnaire sent to patients who had used this service, are analyzed. The majority of those answering it a) had felt a need on entering the clinicl for a conflict-oriented interview; b) felt the encouragement toward such an interview to be appropriate; c) had positive expectations about the interview; d) experienced a feeling of relief after the interview had taken place; e) developed a certain amount of insight into their conflicts; f) felt the interview to have been helpful. The patients who found it had been most helpful were those who had felt the need for it most strongly in advance. However, the fact that, of the patients who had no felt such a need in advance, more than half afterwards felt that it had been valuable; indicates the effectiveness of the interview technique used. Neither the wish for such a consultation nor the estimated value of it afterwards was dependent on the sex of the patient involved. The interview was in general more successful when the patient had been carefully oriented by the referring doctor in advance. The greater the number of interviews conducted in the clinic with any given patient, the more that patient seemed to feel the need to continue such interviews after leaving the clinic.

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Consumer Behavior*
  • Female
  • Hospital Departments*
  • Humans
  • Internal Medicine*
  • Interview, Psychological
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Care Team
  • Psychiatric Department, Hospital*
  • Psychotherapy
  • Referral and Consultation*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires