정신과 자문에 대한 타과 의사들의 인식과 태도

Perceptions and Attitudes of Nonpsychiatric Physicians Toward Psychiatric Consultation

The perceptions and attitudes of nonpsychiatric physicians toward psychiatric consultation was surveyed with a questionnaire in 128 physicians(63 staffs and 65 residents) at two general hospitals in Seoul. Physicians estimated 13.6% of their inpatients had significant psychiatric problems, however they considered that only 8.3% of the patient would need psychiatric consultation. Most frequently mentioned reason for psychiatric consultation was * overt psychiatric symptoms (e.g. severe depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, etc.) followed by problems suggesting psychiatric conditions such as suicidal behaviors. On the contrary, they showed little concern on the holistic care needed in such case of terminal patient. 89% of physicians showed their satisfaction to overall psychiatric consultation ; more than two-thirds of physicians followed the psychiatric recommendations, such as psychiatric diagnosis, diagnostic procedures, psychiatric drugs and psychosocial treatment. Although surgeons and staffs seemed to have more positive attitude to the psychiatric consultation than internists and residents, they showed the lack of understanding of psychological problems. In contrast, internists and residents appeared to be able to understand the problems better than other respondents, however, they tended not to seek actively the professional mangement from psychiatrist. These findings suggest the significance of psychiatric problems in the current medical setting seems to be neglected and psychiatric consultation is likely to be utilized in limited cases