[Consultation-liaison activities in general hospital: strategies to improve their efficacy]

This review is aimed at identifying strategies that favor compliance with the indications provided by a consultation-liaison team (C-L team). A reference is made to the development of consultation liaison as a psychiatry subspecialty to point out reasons that justify its relevance to the General Hospital (GH) setting. Attention is drawn to the few and late referrals to CLT teams despite the high prevalence of mental disorders among medical inpatients. We propose several strategies that could be useful for improving CLT team functioning: a better integration with physicians and personnel from non-psychiatric wards; use of a more comprehensible language; identification of patients whose characteristics make them more likely to be referred to a CLT team; and optimization of the CLT make-up. Lastly, we emphasize the great importance of liaison activities as the essential and paramount function of CL Teams.