Psychiatric Liaison Team

What is the Psychiatric Liaison Team?

The psychiatric liaison team responds to consultations on psychological symptoms and psychosocial distress that might occur in patients and their families when they are in hospital. Our team consists of specialists from multiple professions: not only psychiatrists but also specialist nurses, clinical psychologists, and pharmacists. It is characterized by being able to provide team medicine that takes advantage of their expertise. (We have been planning the addition of a psychiatry liaison team since 2012.)

About half of the patients introduced to our team are afflicted with the condition of delirium. Delirium feels like a strong sleepiness, with symptoms such as day-night reversal and behavior that does not conform to the environment, in some cases hallucinations and delusions occur. This disease is commonly observed during treatment of the body, such as immediately after surgery, and might occur to anyone.

Especially, our team specifically examines countermeasures against delirium. In cooperation with doctors and nurses, we take measures from preventive intervention, including deepening the understanding of delirium by patients and families before delirium occurs.