The child and adolescent psychiatry hospitalization ward at the Germans Trias Hospital in Badalona (Barcelonès Nord), inaugurated two years ago and which was the first in a center of the Institut Català de la Salut, has consolidated a set of actions and interventions aimed at strengthening humanization in the care of children and respect and guarantee their rights.
Firstly, the plant has imported and adapted a nursing model with which restrictive therapeutic measures and conflicts have been reduced. Thus, now in the child and adolescent unit, as they did before in the adult unit, patients and professionals clarify what mutual expectations they have when an admission begins and knowledge between each other is promoted, thanks to mutual help meetings, support in case of bad news, using relaxation techniques or sharing positive messages upon discharge. In addition, the Unit carries out a program of activities – workshops, sports, music and cinema… – throughout the day, promoted by different professionals: nursing, clinical psychology, psychiatry, social work, occupational therapist and an expert in physical activity.
We have the challenge of transforming clinical environments into friendlier spaces, according to the psychological needs of children.
For Maria Giralt, Head of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service, humanization in child psychiatry wards poses several challenges, since it seeks to “transform traditional clinical environments into more friendly, accessible and patient-centered spaces, considering the emotional, psychological and social needs of children and their families. All of this, to facilitate their recovery “within an environment that respects their dignity, autonomy and emotional well-being”, and using different ways of interacting with the patient, which facilitate “fluid, more professional and close communication, which avoids the traditional model.” , paternalistic and authoritarian.”
Convinced of the importance of working with respect for humanization, ethics and the rights of people, Giralt also details other innovative actions carried out in this line: for example, launching a hospital classroom full of activities; make joint income for the child with a parent when necessary; make schedules more flexible, adapted to the needs of families; make early trips home and try to maintain some positive activities outside the hospital during admission; and relax the regulations on relevant dates, for example by having family meals at Christmas. The next step will be to organize a specific and adapted schedule that allows visits to the patients’ younger siblings.
Indicators for relaxation.
Apart from these actions, one of the ones that has had the best reception among the admitted children and adolescents has been the ‘Deixant footprint’ project, dog-assisted therapy, which is carried out every Tuesday morning on the ward thanks to the Fundació Fútbol Club Barcelona and the ItCan entity, which has been collaborating with the Hospital for years through the Citizen Care Unit.
During the past year, more than fifty sessions were held with minors admitted to the Mental Health unit. Apart from humanizing the hospital space, the introduction of these animals into a healthcare space aroused great motivation among patients, who reduced their level of stress due to hospitalization and improved their social skills. In this sense, many patients can dispense with rescue medication or perform other disruptive behaviors while they are with the dog, just as they relate and work together on waiting shifts, frustration and communication, in general.
Table of activities in child psychiatry of Can Ruti.
In addition to the patients, the professionals themselves value this intervention very positively, as it serves to create new bonds and pleasant times together to reduce healthcare pressure.
Last year, nearly 700 child and adolescent psychiatry emergencies from all over Barcelonès Nord were attended to at the Germans Trias and nearly one hundred children and adolescents were admitted to the Mental Health ward, which in June 2023 saw its capacity expanded to 12 beds. The average stay was 23 days and the main reason for admission was suicidal behavior.
“We must respond to the need we have, which is not just a local issue in Badalona, but a global need for the entire world,” explains Joan de Pablo, director of Mental Health at the Hospital, who adds: “The increase in emergencies has meant that we have to expand the spaces we allocate, and another expansion appears in next year’s planning.” , and to do so, guaranteeing both the quality of care and providing this humanistic vision that characterizes the Hospital’s services, it is necessary to equip the hospital as it should,” he concludes.
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