Authors (including presenting author) :
MA CS (1); YIP MK(1) ; TSANG HW (1); SHUN KW(1); LUI SF (1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Psychiatry, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
The 5th wave COVID-19 pandemic over-stretched local healthcare system at unprecedented level.
This paper is about how to help a group of psychiatric inpatients with Confirmed COVID-19 to turn difficulty experiences to desirable resilience of mental health. It provides healthcare workers with tips to promote patients’ satisfaction to clinical services even in troubled times.
Objectives :
• To promote emotional support to patients
• To facilitate group learning among patients and staff
• To acquire insight and skill resilience
• To identify area of service improvement
Methodology :
A series of Therapeutic Group (疫 旅 同 行 小 組) specifically for post-outbreak were conducted by psychiatric nurses in late March 2022 to facilitate group learning and support for better coping in future. They shared how they went through difficult times of cohort with focus on thoughts and feelings of cohort. To facilitate reflection and group learning, participants were asked to make notes of their sharing and wrap up reflection in sentence with photos as consolidation. The collated data sheets were categorized by thematic analysis. Basic statistical illustration was made to reflect global results.
Result & Outcome :
Total 17 out of 23 inpatients of confirmed COVID-19 (74%) joined the Therapeutic Group (疫 旅 同 行 小 組). They were male and aged from 19 to 63 years old.
Discussion and Conclusion
How to go through the cohort period:
All participants appreciated emotional support and nursing care; especially the clinical updates and telephone service by staff. They appreciated staff sweating efforts to help meeting their needs and treatment. Most of them (15 participants; 88%) were holding positive attitude to cohort environment and infection control measures. The keys to sustain their patience and collaboration relied on staff continuing coaching and emotional support. Two participants (12%) opined they were healthy and asymptomatic; they felt grieve at the beginning of cohort but became receptive to treatment regime and collaborative with staff after repeated coaching.
Improve cohort experiences:
They suggested providing fragrant showering gel and shampoo to light up their spirit, game console to enrich entertainment and improve variety of meal.
Most Appreciations by Clients During Cohort:
Most of them felt being fully supported by staff with ongoing coaching and explanation. They most treasured the showering session and telephone services.
Post-outbreak Survey Among Staff:
Staff were engaged to post-outbreak evaluation in different meetings and occasions. Staff feedback and recommendation were collated. Their performance, dedication and creative problem-solving approach in the COVID-19 outbreak were truly recognized.
Recommendations
To patient
• Due explanation of clinical results in understandable term;
• Flexible responding to patients’ needs;
• Emotional support by all possible means;
• Enrich entertainment facility and content; &
• Make use the cohort experiences as turning point to promote COVID-19 vaccination and enforce compliance of infection control measures.
To staff
• Timely managerial updates with staff engagement in ward management;
• Ensure resource support;
• Uphold stringent infection control measures with hospital-wise support;
• Make use every mini-clinical progress as incentive to sustain team spirit; &
• Due recognition and emotional support
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Last but not the least, staff dedication and senior management support particularly demonstrated our pledge to the services in troubled times.
