Clinical trial NCT04753242: Psychosocial Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Acute Hospitals
Official title: Psychosocial Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Acute Hospitals - an International Online Survey of Psychosomatic, Psychiatric and Psychological Consultation and Liaison (C&L) Services
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Covid-19
COVID-19 Related Psychosocial Burden
Keywords: COVID-19 related psychosocial burden in patients, relatives and staff
Lead sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-02-15
Enrollment: 230
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The heads of all psychosomatic, psychiatric and psychological C\&L services in acute care hospitals across all participating countries will be contacted and asked to participate. Contact will be made via the respective national professional societies and relevant working and interest groups

Brief summary: Heads of all psychosomatic, psychiatric and psychological consultation and liaison (C\&L) services in acute care hospitals across all participating countries will be contacted and asked to participate in this international cross-sectional online survey. The survey consists of questions about care structures and their utilisation that psychosomatic, psychiatric and psychological C\&L services have established in acute hospitals in the context of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Detailed description: Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic raised new challenges in supporting patients, relatives and staff for psychosomatic, psychiatric and psychological C\&L services in general hospitals worldwide. It is intended to build upon the experience gained so far in order to be well prepared for the future.

Objectives:

The aims of this international online survey are

1. To summarize the efforts made in psychosocial care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. To assess the experiences made with the established services so far.
3. To assess the need for networking, cooperation and support.
4. Improvement of psychosocial care in acute hospitals in the context of pandemics.

Study Design:

This health services research project will be carried out as an observational study in the form of an international cross-sectional online survey.

There will be one survey time point. Study reporting will follow the STROBE Statement (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology).

Ethic approval:

In all participating countries the respective ethics committees were informed about the survey and it was checked with them, how far and what kind of country-specific vote of an ethics committee was necessary. Written statements, declarations or votes were obtained from all participating countries.

Setting:

The heads of all psychosomatic, psychiatric and psychological C\&L services in acute care hospitals across all participating countries are contacted and asked to participate. Contact is made via the respective national professional societies and relevant working and interest groups.

Participants This study is an international online survey with psychosomatic, psychiatric and psychological C\&L services from 14 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom) as well as parts of Canada (Quebec and Ontario region) and Iran participating.

Country specific regions:

The national coordinators of the participating country provided lists of specific regions for their respective country following the NUTS logic (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomenclature_of_Territorial_Units_for_Statistics), preferably a NUTS level that leads to 5 - 20 NUTS for each country.

Online survey questionnaire:

Self-developed questionnaire based on relevant literature, own experience and consultation with participating professional societies. The survey contains 25 questions on structural and process variables regarding characterization of the participating C\&L services, involvement of the respective hospitals in the physical care of COVID-19 patients, structures / organization of psychosocial care for COVID-19 patients in the participating hospitals, specific psychosocial support for patients, relatives and staff established in the participating hospital in the context of COVID-19, communication - How the different target groups were informed about the COVID-19 related psychosocial support services and offers, burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychosocial C\&L teams, needs and wishes for the future.

The study questionnaire was translated by a professional company from German into English, French and Italian. Language harmonization and cultural adaptation followed a modified committee-based approach informed by the European Social Survey (ESS) Round 9 Translation Guidelines. Participants are free to choose the language version to be worked on.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* heads of all psychosomatic, psychiatric and psychological C\&L services in acute care hospitals across all participating countries

Exclusion Criteria:

* None

Primary outcomes:
measure: Structural and process quality of COVID-19 related psychosocial C&L services
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Graz
country: Austria
facility: Medical University of Graz, University Hospital Graz
state: Steiermark
city: Ghent
country: Belgium
facility: Ghent University Hospital, Department of Psychiatry
city: Montreal
country: Canada
facility: University of Montreal, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: TorontoSinai Health, University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry
city: Oulu
country: Finland
facility: Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu
city: Paris
country: France
facility: Université de Paris, Service de Psychiatrie de l'adulte
city: Nürnberg
country: Germany
facility: Nuremberg Hospital, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy
state: Bayern
city: Köln
country: Germany
facility: University Hospital Cologne, Department of Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy
state: Nordrhein-Westfalen
city: Thessaloniki
country: Greece
facility: Aristotle University Thessaloniki
city: Tehran
country: Iran, Islamic Republic of
facility: University of Medical Sciences, Department of Psychiatry
city: Dublin
country: Ireland
facility: University College Dublin
city: Bologna
country: Italy
facility: Bologna University
city: Modena
country: Italy
facility: University of Modena & Reggio Emilia
city: Oslo
country: Norway
facility: Oslo University Hospital
city: Wroclaw
country: Poland
facility: Wroclaw Medical University
city: Lisboa
country: Portugal
facility: Hospital de Santa Maria
city: Lisboa
country: Portugal
facility: Universidade Católica Portuguesa Lisboa
city: Barcelona
country: Spain
facility: Barcelona University
city: Basel
country: Switzerland
facility: University Hospital Basel, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine
state: Basel-City
city: Basel
country: Switzerland
facility: University of Basel, Department of Psychiatry (UPK)
city: Exeter
country: United Kingdom
facility: University of Exeter
city: York
country: United Kingdom
facility: University of York
Study officials:
affiliation: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
name: Rainer Schaefert, Prof. Dr. med.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Schaefert R, Stein B, Meinlschmidt G, Roemmel N, Huber CG, Hepp U, Saillant S, Fazekas C, Vitinius F. COVID-19-Related Psychosocial Care in General Hospitals: Results of an Online Survey of Psychosomatic, Psychiatric, and Psychological Consultation and Liaison Services in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Jun 24;13:870984. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.870984. eCollection 2022.