Search

Psychomotor agitation in somatic units is a medical and psychiatric emergency requiring rapid intervention by the team in charge of the patient and the liaison psychiatrist. Verbal de-escalation is attempted throughout the treatment. Securing the surroundings is needed to protect both the patient and the team. The etiology of the agitation, somatic and/or psychiatric, should be investigated to allow the administration of an adequate treatment. Antipsychotics and benzodiazepines are often recommended. Physical restraint measures can be applied as a last resort if necessary. The continuation of care is decided jointly between the team in charge and the liaison psychiatrist. An intervention protocol has been drawn up by the HUG liaison psychiatry team., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Due to the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic, a reorganization of the health care sector was needed. Many questions arose concerning the specificity of psychiatric care in this unprecedented situation. In Geneva, Switzerland, the department of psychiatry decided to open a new ward for its infected patients. Beyond the challenge of setting it up quickly, we faced the challenges of taking care of a heterogeneous group of patients and of incorporating protection measures we were not accustomed to, which add a significant amount of time to the daily care of patients. The staff recruitment on a voluntary basis, close supervision, availability of the personal protective material as well as support from the infection prevention and control unit have enabled proper functioning of the ward., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.