Psychologists' Conceptions in an Urgent Care and Emergency Hospital Regarding Interventions in the Hospital Context

Abstract

The integration of psychology into public health policies has encouraged researchers to explore the role of psychologists in various contexts of their practice. This qualitative study examined the conceptions that 12 psychologists working in an urgent care and emergency hospital in Paraíba held regarding the compatibility of certain interventions with the practice in the hospital context. Two questionnaires were used to characterize the sample, understand the practice carried out in the hospital under study, and investigate the conceptions regarding interventions in a broader hospital context. The analysis of the material was carried out by grouping similar responses and calculating their frequencies. The results demonstrated an advancement in understanding interventions related to hospital practices, a shift away from traditional clinical behaviors, and improved management of psychiatric patients. Work with patients in the Intensive Care Unit and psychologists' training, which should emphasize general health, going beyond the clinical and predominantly verbal nature of the therapeutic process, are the challenges to be faced.