Práticas profissionais de psicologos (as) que atuam em hospitais gerais

Abstract

Hospital psychologists are responsible for providing psychological support to the patient–family–healthcare team triad, aiming to minimize the suffering associated with illness and the hospitalization process. Based on the research question, “How does psychological practice take place within team-based work in general hospitals and in situations involving the delivery of bad news and suicide attempts?”, the study’s general objective was to analyze the professional practices of psychologists working in general hospitals. The specific objectives of the study were defined as follows: (1) To investigate the training of psychologists for work in the hospital field, from undergraduate through postgraduate education; (2) To understand the daily work routine of psychologists in general hospitals, particularly in situations involving the communication of bad news and suicide attempts; (3) To examine the integration of psychologists into multidisciplinary teams, including their contributions and challenges. This dissertation is composed of two articles derived from a study that employed two main instruments. The first was a questionnaire designed to gather general information about hospital psychology practice, and the second consisted of an in-depth interview script aimed at investigating how hospital psychology is carried out in current clinical practice. Participants shared details about their hospital routines, their collaboration within healthcare teams, and their roles in sensitive situations, such as communicating bad news and managing cases of suicide attempts. Based on the data collected through these instruments, two articles were produced. The first article, “Training in Hospital Psychology, Support in Delivering Bad News, and Suicide Attempts”, aimed to examine the training and professional practice of psychologists in general hospitals, with particular attention to the support provided to families during the communication of bad news and in cases of suicide attempts. Following thematic analysis, the categories were organized as follows: (1) First contact with Hospital Psychology; (2) The psychologist’s daily work in the hospital; (3) Challenges in providing psychological support to families during the medical communication of bad news; (4) Psychological support in cases of suicide attempts. Psychology professionals work in partnership with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to offer support to staff and promote the care and emotional support needed by patients and families when facing difficult communications, as well as in situations involving attempted self-harm. The second article, “Contributions and Challenges of Integrating Psychologists into Multidisciplinary Teams in General Hospitals”, aimed to understand how psychologists working in hospital settings relate to multidisciplinary teams. Two categories were developed: (1) Contributions of hospital psychologists to team-based care; and (2) Challenges faced by hospital psychologists in team-based work. The presence of the psychologist both broadens the team’s perspective by drawing attention to subjective aspects related to illness and hospitalization, and presents the ongoing challenge of continuously informing the team about the role of psychology within the hospital care context. This dissertation contributes to reflections on the daily practices of professionals working in hospital psychology, particularly regarding aspects related to training in Psychology and its implications for hospital practice—especially in the management of sensitive situations, such as the communication of bad news and the care of individuals involved in suicide attempts.