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Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic presented new difficulties for integrated healthcare worldwide. Our study aims to highlight developing needs for cooperation while describing structures and practices of consultation liaison (CL) services established during pandemic across Europe. Method(s): The cross-sectional survey used an ONLINE self-developed 25-item questionnaire in four language versions (English, French, Italian, German). Dissemination was via national professional societies cooperating in EAPM, and heads of CL services from June to October 2021 Results: 259 hospital CL services took part in the study (28.0% response rate). 222 (85.7%) of these services reported providing COVID-19-related mental health care (COVIDpsyCare). Among them, 192 services (86.5%) reported the development of specialized COVID-psyCare co-operation arrangements. 135 services (50.8%) provided specific COVID-psyCare for patients, 85 (38.2%) for relatives, and 171 (77.0%) for staff, with 56.3%, 14.6%, and 23.7% of time resources invested for these groups, respectively. Interventions for hospital staff, commonly related to the liaison function of CL services, were rated as being the most helpful. Regarding newly emerging demands, 129 (58.1%) CL services stated a need for communication and support among themselves concerning COVID-psyCare, and 142 (64.0%) suggested certain adjustments or enhancements that they thought were crucial for the future. Conclusion(s): Specific structure to provide COVID mental health care for patients, their relatives, or staff were implemented in over 80% of the participating CL services. Resources were primarily allocated for patient care, and staff assistance was mostly achieved through the implementation of specialized interventions. COVID psyCare's development calls for further intra- and interinstitutional cooperation.Copyright © 2023
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Introduction: While COVID-19 pandemic associated with quarantine, social distancing and isolation influenced many aspects of people's lives including stress and mood regulation only little is known about the psychological impact on patients waiting for liver or kidney transplantation. Thus this study was designed to fill this scientific gap. Methods: Twenty-seven wait list patients and 43 healthy controls underwent the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2), 12-item Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQS), Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI18), Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire (PSQI), Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT), and a questionnaire to determine cognition, attitude and fear related to COVID-19. Results: Levels of the BSI subscale somatization were increased in wait list patients (F=4.41, p=0.04). There was no difference between patients and healthy controls in the depression scores (BDI) (BDI: F(1,66), p=0.998;3.33±3.92 vs. 3.6±3) and PSQI sleep components (F(7.54)=1.23, p=0.3, Eta=0.137);however, COVID-specific fears (F(3.65)=3.84, p=0.014, Eta=0.151) was different between groups indicating more fear of infecting others with the Coronavirus in controls (F=5.8, p=0.019, Eta=0.08;3.3±3.44 vs. 5.12±2.5). In addition, partial correlation analyses between the emotional distress due to social distancing and the symptom load scales indicated a relationship between somatization and anxiety (r=0.53, p<0.001) in wait list patients. Further depression correlated positively with the items loneliness, boredom, and frustration in patients. Conclusion: Results of our study clearly demonstrates that COVID-19 pandemic significantly increases somatization in wait list patients most likely due to stress while healthy controls experience more COVID-19 associated fears. Thus effective strategies for stress reduction, more information on their illness, medication, skills for emotional regulation and healthy lifestyle are needed.