ABSTRACT
The rapid increase in inpatients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic acutely increased the workload of physicians and nurses caring for severely ill patients. Moreover, family visits were restricted for infection control purposes, and family members were unable to be briefed regarding a patient's condition because they tested positive or they had been in close contact with an infectious patient, thus increasing the burden on the patient's family and the medical staff. Therefore, our psychiatric liaison team intervened by attending briefing sessions for family members and online patient visits while also conducting sessions to provide information about mental health and relaxation sessions for the hospital's nurses to reduce their burden as much as possible. These efforts provided mental support for the patients' families while also reducing the challenges of and the burden on medical staff. If the number of severely ill patients increases rapidly and the burden on patients' families and medical staff increases, then we hope that these efforts will help to provide better psychological support to both families and staff.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess psychological/psychiatric problems and quality of life (QOL) in patients with thalidomide embryopathy (TE), with a specific focus on pain, including pain severity and the effects of coping strategies for pain. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate the severity of pain experienced by patients with TE, pain management strategies, time perspective, mental health status, and QOL. Of 67 patients with TE who underwent a health checkup, 51 respondents who gave valid responses were included in analysis. RESULTS: GHQ-28 suggested that 41.2% of respondents appeared to potentially have psychiatric disorders. The mean scores of QOL were still within a normal range. There is no significant differences were found between limb disability group and hearing impairment group in QOL or mental health status. About 82.4% of respondents reported that they experience physical pain, and the use of the cognitive coping strategy "catastrophizing" to cope with pain was significantly associated with mental health status and QOL. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrate that although some patients with TE have some form of mental health problem, they still maintain a normal range QOL despite their disabilities. In addition, pain was not as strongly associated with mental health problems and QOL as would be expected, and variables such as "catastrophizing" to cope with pain appear to potentially be associated with reduced mental health and QOL.
