Mental health challenges during the pandemic: an experience report

Abstract The readjustment in the care of mental health patients during the Covid-19 pandemic was facilitated by changes in the current medical legislation. Telemedicine brought forth opportunities to treat, monitor and identify mental disorders in different ways. This article reports the experience of the mental health service in a teaching hospital and psychiatry residency program during this period. Outpatient care included telemedicine appointments and face-to-face visits, according to severity criteria, and the project Embracing Mental Health in Times of Pandemic was created to assist hospital health staff. The prospect for the future is the use of teleservice as a tool for mental health care, which requires better training for professionals and evaluating the quality of this modality.

摘要 新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情大流行期间，精神卫生患者照护的调整工作得益于现行医疗法规的修订。远程医疗（Telemedicine）为多维度开展精神障碍的诊疗、监测与识别提供了全新契机。本文报告了某教学医院精神卫生服务及精神科住院医师培训项目在此期间的实践经验。门诊照护依据病情严重程度标准，涵盖远程医疗问诊与线下就诊两种形式；同时发起了“疫情时期守护精神健康”（Embracing Mental Health in Times of Pandemic）项目，旨在为医院医护人员提供支持。未来展望表明，远程服务（teleservice）可作为精神卫生照护的重要工具，该模式的推广落地需完善专业人员培训体系，并对服务质量开展系统性评估。