The triage-function of a psychosomatic liaison-service for gynecological patients

The psychosomatic psychotherapeutic consultation liaison (CL)-service for gynecological patients at the Vienna University has been evaluated. Research interest focused on success and failure of the initial interview, conceptualized for a specific clientele. The interview has a triage function for treatment planning. By the type of treatment that was applied, patients were divided into three groups: Group A, patients with one single contact with the unit; Group B, patients who were referred to external psychotherapy; Group C, patients who were treated with short-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy as offered by the service unit. The drop-outs figured as Group D. The questionnaires completed by the patients at the first consultation and 6 moths after their final contact with the clinic covered socio-demographic data, ego functions; the motivation for psychotherapy, a complaints list and finally, at the second contact only, an individual retrospective judgement concerning personal consequences of the consultation. Patients needs in CL-services call for quick decisions, which therapeutic measure would be most adequate. An experienced clinician's decision is based on several circumstances: individual feeling of suffering, therapy-motivation and ego-strength, as well as social and demographic facts. Comparing groups with different therapeutic recommendations showed that the psychometric tests discriminated well between these four groups and thus the validity of the clinical recommendation has been confirmed.