Liaison psychiatry in Poland--can we achieve a successful holistic diagnosis?

New decades introduce more and more new medical specialties with the inevitable progress of medical science. This is due to the increasing amount of knowledge, and in opposition to the physical and intellectual faculties of a single man. In contrast to the time of Hippocrates, today one cannot be an expert in every field of medicine. We need to consult with specialists in various fields, in order to properly diagnose the patient. Without this the final diagnosis is often impossible.

The objective of our survey was to check how often psychiatrists use consultation with physicians in other specialties, and whether there is a relationship between the place of work, academic degree, work experience in the profession, and the number of commissioned consultations. It was also important for us whether consultations affect the final diagnosis.

Most of the respondents are young doctors, specialists from big cities. They rarely consult with doctors of other specialties - 1/10 cases. However they are skeptical about the opinions of other psychiatrists. In contrast the proctologist and the pathologist are the least frequent groups of specialists who are requested for a consultation by psychiatrists. Specialists consulting the most often are internists and neurologists.

The key to a diagnostic success is a holistic view of the patient. It is necessary therefore to develop the most effective cooperation between doctors of various specialties.