{"id":24525,"date":"2021-02-26T15:59:50","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T14:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=24525"},"modified":"2021-02-26T16:09:37","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T15:09:37","slug":"relatives-of-critically-ill-patients-are-also-provided-with-psychological-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2021\/02\/relatives-of-critically-ill-patients-are-also-provided-with-psychological-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Relatives of critically ill patients are also provided with psychological help"},"content":{"rendered":"

Currently, there is a ban on visiting patients<\/span> at <\/span>all the departments of <\/span>Semmelweis University, in accordance with current <\/span>epidemiological <\/span>regulations. <\/span>H<\/span>owever, <\/span>in the case of <\/span>patients <\/span>who are <\/span>in the most severe condition,<\/span> it is possible <\/span>for the relatives <\/span>to visit and <\/span>have the opportunity to say<\/span> goodbye, under certain conditions, in the protective equipment provided by th<\/span>e<\/span> department concerned. <\/span>At the <\/span>Department<\/span> of Anesthesiology and Intensive <\/span>Therapy<\/span>, visitors <\/span>are also provided with<\/span> psychological help to prepare <\/span>the relatives <\/span>for the <\/span>encounter. In addition,<\/span> a psychological service for relatives and patients is available at several <\/span>departments of<\/span> the university, coordinated by the Department of Clinical Psychology.<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

With a few exceptions, <\/span>visiting patients is <\/span>not allowed during the ban on visiting <\/span>ordered by <\/span>the National <\/span>Public Health <\/span>Center <\/span>in <\/span>inpatient <\/span>institutions<\/span>, including <\/span>the departments of <\/span>Semmelweis University. <\/span>However, even in this situation, it is possible <\/span>for the<\/span> relative<\/span>s<\/span> designated by the patient<\/span>s<\/span> to visit a <\/span>patient in a<\/span> critical <\/span>or end-stage<\/span> condition and say goodbye, <\/span>wearing<\/span> the protective equipment provided by the <\/span>department concerned. In addition, the regulation allows <\/span>keeping <\/span>contact <\/span>for <\/span>parent<\/span>s of child patients<\/span> and the attendant of a woman delivering a baby. In justified cases, the contact <\/span>keeping <\/span>may be requested from the <\/span>head<\/span> of the <\/span>department concerned <\/span>on the basis of a <\/span>leniency application<\/span>, but even then only one designated person may be present with the patient.<\/span><\/p>\n

Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy: presence of a psychologist during the visiting period<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cAt the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, our psychologist is already present before the visiting periods, and he\/she is also available to relatives on the phone at a specified time\u201d, said Dr. J\u00e1nos G\u00e1l, department head.<\/span><\/p>\n

As he added, the visits require serious organization, but provide a great deal of support to the relatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany people come to the designated visit without even being sure if they are willing to go to see their relative at all, because they are full of anxiety\u201d, said Emma Naszvadi, psychologist, who provides help to the relatives to be able to prepare for what awaits them during the visit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPatients cannot be visited directly, and the relatives cannot talk to them, they can only see them through a glass wall and this in itself is a situation causing anxiety. Of course people would like to do everything for their ill relatives, to care for them, to hold their hands, but because of regulations related to isolation, this is not possible. This greatly enhances the feeling of helplessness\u201d, the psychologist says.<\/p>\n

As she points out, in addition, the intensive care unit is not the \u201cusual\u201d hospital sight that people usually imagine. Emma Naszvadi finds that it can be a stress reliever in itself if relatives can prepare for this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince only one relative is admitted during a visit, it can alleviate even the difficult moments that one experiences alone if there is someone with whom the feelings can be shared afterwards, with whom one can sit down here for a few minutes in silence, with whom the experiences can be processed. Presence is what really matters at a time like this\u201d, the psychologist says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are those who are already coming <\/span>in<\/span> to say goodbye, they are at the beginning of <\/span>sort<\/span> of <\/span>a <\/span>mourning process. There was a case, whe<\/span>n<\/span> after such a last meeting, the relative concerned <\/span>contacted me <\/span>and we talked for an hour <\/span>via <\/span>Zoom. <\/span>T<\/span>hen I <\/span>recommended<\/span> the person<\/span> to <\/span>contact<\/span> an <\/span>appropriate specialist, suggesting a longer therapeutic process. There are also those who do not ask for help there at that moment, but <\/span>they prefer contacting me on<\/span> the phone later. This is also possible\u201d, <\/span>Emma Naszvadi says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cRelatives ask a lot about what happens to patients <\/span>at the department:<\/span> whether they feel pain, <\/span>if <\/span>they remember <\/span>later<\/span> what happened to them, why the<\/span>y seem to be <\/span>confus<\/span>ed<\/span> even days after waking up. It <\/span>provides<\/span> reassurance and some <\/span>sort of a reference point<\/span> to many <\/span>people<\/span> in case<\/span> they <\/span>receive<\/span> answers to these questions, because it can be very scary if a patient awakened after a long anesthesia does <\/span>not<\/span> even <\/span>recognize<\/span> them, or is just disoriented in space and time\u201d, <\/span>the psychologist says.<\/span><\/p>\n

As she points out, they,<\/span> experts know that this is a \u201cnormal\u201d part of the process, which dissolves over time, but it is an unknown situation to <\/span>the <\/span>relatives. <\/span>It is <\/span>consider<\/span>ed to be<\/span> important that they are also properly informed, which is why <\/span>professionals<\/span> have created a detailed information page about this, but of course there is opportunity to ask questions during the visit<\/span>s<\/span> as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Unlike general COVID care facilities, packages cannot be sent to intensive care and emergency departments, but relatives may write a letter to their loved ones. To those inpatients, whose condition is more serious, the relatives may even send a voice message, in the case of which Emma Naszvadi is happy to advise on its content. In such cases, it is worth recalling memories in which the patient has solved a difficult situation, achieved success, as this can also activate the psychic ability to cope, and the recalling of pleasant shared memories can have a calming effect. In the letter, the relatives can write down exactly what is happening at home so that the patients can keep up with the family life, and it is also worth writing down things that they will do together after the patient is released from hospital and can go home.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOur goal for the relatives is not to experience being <excluded>, although this may seem like this at first because of the regulations related to isolation, but to involve them as much as possible in the process, as they are also part of it. We emphasize that they should also pay attention to their own needs, try to relax, recharge, as the organization of life after the hospital treatment will be handled by them, for which they will need strength\u201d, the psychologist highlighted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Department of Clinical Psychology: support provided at many departments<\/h5>\n

Psychological help is also available at other <\/span>departments <\/span>on campus. <\/span>As D<\/span>r. D\u00f3ra Perczel-Forintos, <\/span>H<\/span>ead of the Department of Clinical Psychology said, already at the beginning of the epidemic, they responded quickly and developed <\/span>such <\/span>self-help material that could provide advice to both patients and relatives in dealing with difficult situations. She added <\/span>that r<\/span>esidents of the <\/span>Department of <\/span>Clinical Psychology provide psychological support to patients and relatives at several <\/span>departments<\/span> on campus as part of their work, both by phone, online or in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

Residents of clinical psychology are currently available at the following departments in person or via the e-mail address available in the university’s central telephone directory:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • \n

    1st Department of Surgery and Interventional Gastroenterology: M\u00e1rton Kiss-Leizer<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Department of Transplantation and Surgery: Judit Mezei<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology: Anna Knyih\u00e1r and Barbara Kulig<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Department of Internal Medicine and Oncology: Ill\u00e9s Kov\u00e1cs<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Department of Internal Medicine and Hematology: T\u00edmea Kele<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    1st Department of Pediatrics Perinatal Intensive Care Unit: Andrea Lohn<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    1st Department of Pediatrics: Martina Gresk\u00f3<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    2nd Department of Pediatrics: R\u00e9ka Katona<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  • \n

    Department of Pulmonology: Tam\u00e1s Szekeres<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cWe continuously provide professional supervision to our resident clinical psychologists participating in the front line of epidemic control to support the care of <\/span>the <\/span>more serious cases, and as a background institution we provide therapeutic assistance to patients and their relatives at the department’s outpatient clinic\u201d, <\/span>Dr. D\u00f3ra Perczel-Forintos emphasized.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Psychological support also has a preventive value<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Dr. Gy\u00f6rgy Purebl, <\/span>Head <\/span>of the Institute of Behavioral Sciences, also emphasized the preventive value of the psychological support system created for relatives. <\/span>As he said, the university\u2019s psychological care units, including the Institute of Behavioral Sciences, provide care for more and more people with psychological problems (stress, panic disorder, grief) related to COVID-19. Experience in the psychological preparation of relatives of critically ill patients has shown that in many cases it can prevent pathological grief, depression or other mental disorders. The <\/span>institute head<\/span> recalled that <\/span>during<\/span> the first wave of coronavirus, a guide <\/span>for the<\/span> home care <\/span>of<\/span> COVID-19 <\/span>patients was prepared in collaboration with the Department of Family Medicine and the <\/span>Department<\/span> of Clinical Psychology, which briefly summarize<\/span>s<\/span> the essentials of <\/span>home care and <\/span>how to<\/span> maintain the mental health of the <\/span>patient and the<\/span> relatives caring for him\/<\/span>her.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Bernadett B\u00f3di
    \nPhoto: Attila Kov\u00e1cs \u2013 Semmelweis University
    \nTranslation: Katalin Ill\u00e9s-Romh\u00e1nyi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A psychological service for relatives and patients is available at several departments of Semmelweis University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101126,"featured_media":24522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[127,157],"class_list":["post-24525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24525"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24529,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24525\/revisions\/24529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}