Evaluation of the psychiatry consultations of inpatients in Palliative Care Unit of Adiyaman Training and Research Hospital: 2018 data
Mehmet Hamdi Örüm1, Mahmut Zabit Kara2, Gamze Örüm3, Oğuzhan Bekir Eğilmez4
1Department of Psychiatry, Kahta State Hospital, Adiyaman, Turkey
2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Health Sciences, Antalya
3Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey Undergraduate Student, İnönü University Faculty of Nursing, Malatya, Turkey
4Department of Psychiatry, Adıyaman University Faculty of Medicine, Adıyaman, Turkey
Keywords: Delirium, major depressive disorder, palliative care, psychiatric consultation
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the psychiatric consultations requested in the inpatients of the palliative care unit.
Patients and methods: Data such as age, gender, main disease diagnosis, psychiatric diagnosis, and the date of consultation from the patient registry system in the Palliative Care Unit of Adıyaman Training and Research Hospital were retrospectively evaluated. In this study, 53 patients (26 males, 27 females; mean age 64.7±15.7 years; range, 29 to 92 years) who were requested consultation between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 were evaluated.
Results: The mean age of men and women was similar (p=0.272). The main diagnoses of the patients were: cancer-leukemia-lymphoma (n=35, 66.2%), infections (n=7, 13.4%), cerebrovascular accident (n=5, 9.1%), diabetes mellitus (n=4, 7.6%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=2, 3.8%). Decubitus ulcers were present in all of these patients. According to DSM-V criteria, the most frequent psychiatric diagnoses were as follows: major depressive disorder in 17 patients (32.1%), sleep disorder in 17 patients (32.1%), delirium 16 patients (30.2%). The number of seasonal consultation requests were similar (p=0.345). Principal diagnoses were similar in both genders (p=0.329). Psychiatric diagnoses were similarly distributed in both genders (p=0.467). Major depressive disorder was significantly more frequent in younger patients compared to other psychiatric diagnostic groups (p=0.008).
Conclusion: The most important psychiatric diagnoses of patients in palliative care units are delirium, sleep disorders, and major depressive disorder. Primary or secondary psychiatric disorders added to the burden of severe disease negatively affect patient compliance to treatment. For these reasons, it is recommended that patients are under close follow-up and treatment.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.