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Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría
Print version ISSN 0034-7450
Abstract
HUARCAYA-VICTORIA, Jeff et al. Analysis of the Care Provided Over a Six-Month Period by the Liaison Psychiatry Unit at a General Hospital in Lima, Peru. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2022, vol.51, n.2, pp.105-112. Epub July 29, 2022. ISSN 0034-7450. https://doi.org/10.10167j.rcp.2020.10.008.
Introduction
Consultation-liaison psychiatry is a branch of clinical psychiatry that enables psychiatrists to carry out a series of activities within a general hospital. The number of liaison psychiatry units around the world has increased significantly, and Peru is no exception. However, this development is heterogeneous and unknown, so recent study reports are required to reveal the characteristics and details of the clinical care services provided by these units.
Aim
To describe and report the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients evaluated in the Liaison Psychiatry Unit of the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital in Lima, Peru, and to analyze the symptomatic and syndromic nature of the identified conditions.
Methods
Cross-sectional descriptive study. Referrals to the Liaison Psychiatry Unit of the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital between May and October 2019 were studied, and a factor analysis of the symptoms was conducted.
Results
In a total of 400 referrals evaluated, the average age was 58 ± 17.09 years and 61.5% of the patients were women. The rate of psychiatric consultation was 2.73%. Internal medicine (13.9%) was the service that most frequently requested a psychiatric consultation. The disorder most frequently diagnosed was anxiety (44%), and the symptoms most frequently found were depression (45.3%), insomnia (44.5%), and anxiety (41.3%). The most used treatments were antidepressants (44.3%). The exploratory factor analysis of the symptoms showed three syndromic components: delirium, depression, and anxiety. Conclusions: The typical patient of this sample is a woman in her late 50s, suffering from a non-psychiatric medical illness, and with anxiety disorders as the main diagnosis resulting from the psychiatric consultation.
Keywords : Consultation-liaison psychiatry; Psychosomatic medicine; Referrals; Anxiety disorders; Peru.