Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry-From Theory to Clinical Practice: an Observational Study in a Psychiatric Unit in the General Hospital of Perugia

Abstract

Background: Subjects suffering from psychiatric disorders are frequently hospitalized due to medical comorbidities. In the present study, we analyzed consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) activity in a General Hospital, describing the sociodemographic, diagnostic, and therapeutic characteristics of the evaluated subjects, as well as reasons for consultation requests.

Subjects and methods: Data concerning psychiatric consultation performed at the Perugia General Hospital during a 1-year period (01/06/2022-20/06/2023) were collected and analyzed by means of descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 707 psychiatric consultations were performed. The primary reason that led to psychiatric consultations was psychomotor agitation. 85 (18.5%) patients attempted suicide; the most frequent modality was the assumption of drugs at non-therapeutic doses. The 72% of the sample (n=509) presented a clear-cut medical comorbidity. In most cases, subjects were referred to Community Mental Health and Addiction services (n=22, 32.4%).

Conclusions: CLP plays a crucial role in the perspective of the overall well-being of hospitalized subjects, but also for the overall management of complex cases. Despite this, a homogeneous approach with standardized guidelines is needed in this field.

Keywords: consultation-liaison psychiatry – hospitalization - suicidal behavior.