Differences Between Centers in Psychosocial Evaluations for Living Kidney Donors Do Not Influence Outcome: Results From an Observational Multicenter Study.

Rather little is known about how psychosocial evaluations for living kidney donation (LKD) are performed. We aimed to explore whether Swiss transplant centers (STCs) vary regarding the rate of living kidney donors refused for psychosocial reasons, the psychosocial evaluation process, and the characteristics of the donors. Methods: We investigated 310 consecutive candidates for LKD in 4 of 6 existing STC during mandatory psychosocial evaluations. We registered (i) sociodemographic data, (ii) the type of the decision-making process regarding LKD (ie, snap decision, postponed, deliberate, other), (iii) the evaluator's perception of the donor's emotional bonding and his/her conflicts with the recipient, (iv) the donor's prognosis from a psychosocial perspective, (v) time taken for the psychosocial evaluation, and (vi) its result (eligible, eligible with additional requirements, not eligible). Results: Centers had comparable proportions of noneligible donors (2.9%-6.0%) but differed significantly in the percentage of donors accepted with additional requirements (3.4%-66%, P < 0.001). Significant differences emerged between centers regarding the time needed for evaluation (75-160 min [interquartile range (IQR) 75-180 min] per single exploration, P < 0.001), the perception of the donor's emotional bonding (visual analogue scale [VAS] 8-9 [IQR 6-10], P < 0.001), his/her conflicts with the recipient (VAS 1.5-2 [IQR 0-3], P = 0.006), the donor's psychosocial prognosis (VAS 8-9 [IQR 7-10], P < 0.001), and the type of decision concerning LKD (59%-82% with snap decision "yes," P = 0.008). However, despite differences in the psychosocial evaluation process, the rates of patients accepted for transplantation (eligible and eligible with additional requirements versus noneligible) were comparable across STC (P = 0.72). Conclusions: Our results emphasize that it is more important to establish clear guidelines to identify potential psychosocial risks than to stringently standardize the procedure for psychosocial evaluation of living kidney donors.

Severe mental illness in cancer is associated with disparities in psycho-oncological support.

Patients with both cancer and a severe mental illness (SMI) have a higher risk of advanced stage cancer at diagnosis and poorer survival in comparison to individuals with cancer alone. The present study explores if similar disparities exist in terms of psycho-oncological support. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to group 10,945 patients with any type of cancer, of which 72 (0.7%) had been diagnosed with a SMI (ICD10-codes F20-F22, F24, F25, F28-F31, F32.3, F33.3), and 1056 (9.6%) with another mental disorder. Subgrouping was based on presence of SMI, other mental illnesses, stage of cancer at its first detection, screening for distress and receipt of information on psycho-oncology, consultation with a psychotherapist and/or psychiatrist, prescription of different psychotropic medication, and use of a patient care attendant. Five subgroups were identified. Patients with SMI were most likely to suffer from further mental comorbidities, to be prescribed antipsychotics, antidepressants, or mood stabilizers, and be in need of a patient care attendant. In comparison to patients without SMI, the larger one of 2 subgroups of patients with SMI had a low probability to be screened for distress and informed about psycho-oncological support services. A smaller subgroup of patients with SMI was probable to be diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer. In subgroups without patients with mental disorders, screening for distress and offering psycho-oncological support seemed to be economized unless benzodiazepines or opioids were prescribed. Contrary to published evidence, distress screening and offering psycho-oncological support is neglected in patients with SMI unless an advanced stage of cancer is being diagnosed.

Predisposing and Precipitating Risk Factors for Delirium in Elderly Patients Admitted to a Cardiology Ward: An Observational Cohort Study in 1,042 Patients.

Aim: Although the risk factors for delirium in general medicine are well-established, their significance in cardiac diseases remains to be determined. Therefore, we evaluated the predisposing and precipitating risk factors in patients hospitalized with acute and chronic heart disease. Methods and Results: In this observational cohort study, 1,042 elderly patients (≥65 years) admitted to cardiology wards, 167 with and 875 without delirium, were included. The relevant sociodemographic and cardiac- and medical-related clusters were assessed by simple and multiple regression analyses and prediction models evaluating their association with delirium. The prevalence of delirium was 16.0%. The delirious patients were older (mean 80 vs. 76 years; p < 0.001) and more often institutionalized prior to admission (3.6 vs. 1.4%, p = 0.05), hospitalized twice as long (12 ± 10 days vs. 7 ± 7 days; p < 0.001), and discharged more often to nursing homes (4.8 vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001) or deceased (OR, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.53-5.85; p = 0.003). The most relevant risk factor was dementia (OR, 18.11; 95% CI, 5.77-56.83; p < 0.001), followed by history of stroke (OR, 6.61; 95% CI 1.35-32.44; p = 0.020), and pressure ulcers (OR, 3.62; 95% CI, 1.06-12.35; p = 0.040). The predicted probability for developing delirium was highest in patients with reduced mobility and institutionalization prior to admission (PP = 31.2%, p = 0.001). Of the cardiac diseases, only valvular heart disease (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.01-2.44; p = 0.044) significantly predicted delirium. The patients undergoing cardiac interventions did not have higher rates of delirium (OR, 1.39; 95% CI 0.91-2.12; p = 0.124). Conclusion: In patients admitted to a cardiology ward, age-related functional and cognitive impairment, history of stroke, and pressure ulcers were the most relevant risk factors for delirium. With regards to specific cardiological factors, only valvular heart disease was associated with risk for delirium. Knowing these factors can help cardiologists to facilitate the early detection and management of delirium.

Burnout, depression and anxiety among Swiss medical students - A network analysis.

It is well established that burnout in medical students is associated with depression and anxiety at a syndromal level. Moreover, there is an ongoing debate about the extent to which burnout overlaps with depression and anxiety. The emerging network approach to psychopathology offers a new perspective on the interrelations between mental disorders focusing on symptom-level association. In this cross-sectional study, we exploratively investigated the associations among burnout, depression, and anxiety in 574 swiss medical students using a network analytic approach for the first time. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire and Generalized Anxiety Disorder respectively. Burnout was assessed with two single-item questions, one referring to emotional exhaustion and the other to depersonalization. We found a dense network in which at least one dimension of burnout was related to eleven of the sixteen included symptoms. This suggests that burnout is closely related to depression and anxiety but also has its own characteristics. Notably, suicidal ideation was not associated with either emotional exhaustion or depersonalization after adjusting for the influence of the remaining symptoms of anxiety and depression. Hence, the well-documented relationship between burnout and suicidal ideation in medical students may be entirely mediated by the experience of anxiety and depression. Hence, the well-documented relationship between burnout and suicidal ideation in medical students might be fully mediated by the experience of anxiety and depression. The collection of the sample after the first wave of infections during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic and the non-representativeness of the investigated sample limit the study's generalizability.

[Medical education in psychosocial disciplines in times of the COVID-19 pandemic - first experiences]. / Lehre in den psychosozialen medizinischen Fächern in Zeiten der COVID-19-Pandemie ­ erste Erfahrungen.

AIM: In specialties that heavily rely on communication skills such as psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine, teaching in times of the COVID-19 pandemic is especially challenging. In this overview, educators and course directors report their experiences in eteaching and share their innovative solutions. METHODS: We present a collection of methods that relate to teaching and assessment as well as student activation. RESULTS: A range of helpful tools for teaching were compiled. This includes instructional videos with simulated patients, structured homework to document a mental status examination, structured hand-offs, and practical examinations in video format. Motivational techniques include podcasts with interviews with clinicians and patients and teaching with the use of cinematic material. DISCUSSION: Switching to online formats creates opportunities and advantages for the advancement of time- and location-independent learning. A fast conversion in this direction might also pose some disadvantages. A direct patient-student interaction is critical for engaging with transference, countertransference and situational aspects for teaching in psychosocial disciplines. Empirical studies of the effectiveness of these newly developed formats and faculty development for digital teaching are necessary.

[Patients with psychiatric comorbidities in the acute hospital - a field of tension with interprofessional need for action - results from a pilot study]. / Patientinnen und Patienten mit psychiatrischen Komorbiditäten im Akutspital.

Patients with psychiatric comorbidities in the acute hospital - a field of tension with interprofessional need for action - results from a pilot study Abstract. Background: Psychiatric comorbidities are frequent in patients hospitalized in an acute care hospital. They often remain undetected or, if diagnosed, neglected. As long as the somatic disease can be properly cared for and treated, this usually remains unproblematic. However, the situation can quickly tip over if psychiatric comorbidities interfere with care and treatment leading to a higher level of care and adverse consequences for patients. Aim: We investigated the need for action for this patient group from the nurses' perspective in a Swiss-German university hospital. Method: In two group discussions, nurses described intense situations, followed by an evaluation of determining factors, insights gained and measures taken to control these situations and prevent them. Results: Nurses experience the described situations as stressful and express a great need for action for themselves and for the interprofessional team. Key points are vigilance in everyday clinical practice, specific knowledge acquisition and an easily accessible local support system. Conclusions: In an acute care hospital, psychiatric comorbidities must be taken into account. However, this requires advanced skills and an organizational, interprofessional approach.