[Clinical Crisis Intervention and Psychosocial Support in Somatic Clinics in Germany - Results of a Nation-Wide...

In everyday care at somatic clinics, patients, their relatives and staff can be confronted with potentially traumatic crisis situations. Although there are established standards for psychosocial emergency care (PSNV) in pre-hospital and non-hospital settings, no comparable system exists within hospitals.

Clinical crisis intervention (KKI) and psychosocial support (PSU) are currently in the early stages of professionalisation. Support services vary in terms of their focus, target group specificity and internal implementation. The different terminology poses an additional challenge.

This study is the first to examine the structures of CCI and PSU in German hospitals providing somatic care across all specialist departments. Availability, struc-tural characteristics, satisfaction and implementation barriers were analysed, among other things.

A nationwide, multicentre, cross-sectional study of an exploratory nature was conducted using a standardised online survey (Lime Survey; June-July 2025).

Following systematic data cleansing, 94 evaluable datasets from 13 federal states remained (net response rate: 9.2%). 78.7% of hospitals offer support services. 70.3% of these provide services for all three target groups: patients, relatives and friends, and employees. The team composition is predominantly interdisciplinary. The estimated need for employee-specific services is lower than for patients (47.5% vs. 64.6%) and relatives and family members (47.5% vs. 66.7%). Barriers to implementation cited included financial resources, staff shortages, and a lack of refinancing options.

The response rate and regional distribution limit the generalisability of the findings. Access to the field was difficult due to a lack of systematisation and heterogeneous organisational structures. No formal validity or reliability testing was carried out; however, the questionnaire was optimised iteratively through pre-tests.

The study shows considerable heterogeneity in existing CCI and PSU structures. Action is needed to establish binding definitions, quality standards and sustainable financing models.