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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 5
| Issue : 1 | Page : 57 |
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Inhospital counseling sustaining the well-being of patients and family members during the COVID-19 pandemic
Poonam Kumari1, Amarjeet Kumar2, Chandni Sinha1, Ajeet Kumar1
1 Department of Anaesthesia, AIIMS, Patna, Bihar, India
2 Department of Trauma and Emergency, AIIMS, Patna, Bihar, India
| Date of Submission | 30-Jun-2020 |
| Date of Decision | 20-Jul-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 22-Jul-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 16-Sep-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Amarjeet Kumar
Room No 503, Hostel 11, AIIMS, Patna, Bihar
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/BJOA.BJOA_121_20
How to cite this article:
Kumari P, Kumar A, Sinha C, Kumar A. Inhospital counseling sustaining the well-being of patients and family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bali J Anaesthesiol 2021;5:57 |
How to cite this URL:
Kumari P, Kumar A, Sinha C, Kumar A. Inhospital counseling sustaining the well-being of patients and family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bali J Anaesthesiol [serial online] 2021 [cited 2023 Mar 21];5:57. Available from: https://www.bjoaonline.com/text.asp?2021/5/1/57/308892 |
The coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the central health crises of this generation. This pandemic has severely affected people of almost all the countries. This disease does not distinguish race, gender, and socioeconomic status of people. Preventive activities such as quarantining of the entire community, the closing of schools, social isolation, and shelter-in-place orders have sharply changed the daily life. The WHO and various other public health authorities are acting to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. We are passing through a deep crisis, which has generated stress among the whole population.[1]
Every person has the fear or anxiety of coronavirus. Many people choose to stay at home and prefer to work from home. The stress or anxiety level of a person becomes very high when they think about hospitalization for emergency surgery. The patient and their relatives have a fear of getting infected if they visit the hospital. Vulnerable people are more prone to psychological morbidity due to the pandemic itself.[2] This might lead them to defer surgeries or treatments unless absolutely necessary.
The first and primary response to the pandemic is fear. Many a time, this fear is groundless based on misinformation being circulated in the media, particularly in social media. At a time when change is the only constant (concerning advisories and precautions, as we move through different stages), the question which lingers on our mind is what should or should not be done.
Primary evidence suggests that symptoms of anxiety and depression (16%–28%) and self-reported stress (8%) are common psychological reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and may be associated with disturbed sleep.[3] A number of different and operational variables moderate this risk. During planning services for such peoples, both the needs of the worried people and the necessary preventive guidelines must be taken into account. When they come to the hospital, the hospital authorities can also reduce the anxiety or stress by proper counseling. It is necessary to educate the patients/relatives about the importance of essential preventive measures such as hand sanitization, maintaining physical distance, and the use of masks.
Many hospitals are catering to both COVID and non-COVID patients. COVID patients have a separate ward and operation room defined in these hospitals. Usually, it is in a separate building or is a highly restricted zone under proper security cover. Health-care workers are also dedicated to such wards. These measures restrict the exposure of non-COVID patients and their relatives to the deadly virus. This information should be shared with non-COVID patients getting admitted for emergency surgeries as it will bring down their stress levels. Proper discharge advice, such as precautions to be taken at home, hand sanitization, and social distancing, should be communicated. In case of any difficulty, the hospital should be reachable on the 24/7 helpline number or e-health system.[4]
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | World Health Organization. Mental Health and Psychosocial Considerations During the COVID-19 Outbreak. World Health Organization; 20 July, 2020. Available from: . [last acccessed on 2020 Jul 20].  |
| 2. | Hawryluck L, Gold WL, Robinson S, Pogorski S, Galea S, Styra R. SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine, Toronto, Canada. Emerg Infect Dis 2004;10:1206-12. |
| 3. | Rajkumar RP. COVID-19 and mental health: A review of the existing literature. Asian J Psychiatr 2020;52:102066. |
| 4. | Hesse BW, Nelson DE, Kreps GL, Croyle RT, Arora NK, Rimer BK, et al. Trust and sources of health information: The impact of the Internet and its implications for health care providers: Findings from the first Health Information National Trends Survey. Arch Intern Med 2005;165:2618-24. |
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