RGGGH recruits counsellors, posts them at emergency and critical care units to talk to patients, attenders

RGGGH recruits counsellors to bridge communication gap between doctors and patients in critical units, aiming for better healthcare outcomes.

Communication between a doctor and patient is considered crucial in healthcare, and often, the lack of or poor communication could make things difficult. To bridge the gap between doctors and patients/their attenders, the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) has recruited five counsellors and has posted them in critical places - Emergency Unit and Critical Care Unit - on a pilot basis starting December 2.

The five persons — three of them holding post graduate degrees in psychology and two in social work — were recruited on November 15 and underwent orientation for 15 days. A team headed by a psychiatrist was formed to orient them to the needs of patients in various departments by roping in two faculty members from each department, E. Theranirajan, RGGGH dean, said.

“The aim is to identify the gaps between doctors and patients and to address them. We identified areas where deaths occurred the most and had the most commotion on the hospital premises. We decided to post four of them on two shifts (8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.) at the casualty section, and one of them at the Critical Care Unit on 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift on a pilot basis. On an average, the emergency unit receives more than 250 patients a day, while 30 patients — all sick persons — are admitted to the Critical Care Unit at any given point in time,” he explained.

The counsellors were given specific uniforms for easy identification. “They have to identify patients/attenders who are not happy/satisfied with the situation and immediately address the issue. We have identified a room where they can sit and talk with them. If they need help, the counsellors can call a doctor to talk with the patient/attender,” he added.

To get feedback and to escalate issues, if any, to authorities, a WhatsApp group comprising hospital authorities and the counsellors has been formed. “We will analyse the outcomes of the initiative after a month. They have been recruited under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS). Based on the outcomes, we will decide on expanding it to other departments based on the willingness to recruit under the scheme. There are 25 Intensive Care Units at RGGGH, and if the departments require, the heads can recruit counsellors under CMCHIS,” Dr. Theranirajan said.