Understanding the patient in emergency

Psychological care should be integrated with physical care even when one works in a busy 'acute care' environment, be it an emergency department, an intensive care unit, or at the roadside as a member of the ambulance team. The quality of care is enhanced by awareness of psychological needs. Initially a conscious effort is needed to remember to have cues verified and to be open to noting subtle changes in behavior. If a continuous effort is made by each health team member, this verification process will become automatic without being time-consuming. All members of the health team must be aware that they are individuals with a multiplicity of factors affecting their thinking, feeling and behavior. They care for individuals who are also unique. A form of support proving successful with one patient may not be effective with another. Each patient must be assessed as an individual before appropriate psychological care can be effectively given. By being open to cues given by the patient and his relatives, and by having perceptions of these cues verified, an important step is taken in deciding on appropriate psychological care. With an increased awareness of the total psychological impact of the 'emergency' situation on the patient, his relatives--in fact, on the entire health team--individualized patient care will be administered in a more thorough and understanding way.