Psychological Interventions in Inpatient Medical Settings: A Brief Review

Background: Behavioral health conditions are prevalent among patients in inpatient medical settings and when not adequately treated contribute to diminished treatment outcomes and quality of life. Substantial evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of psychological interventions in addressing behavioral health conditions in a range of settings but, to a lesser extent with psychologically-based interventions delivered in inpatient medical settings. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to increase attention on psychological interventions being delivered to patients across a broad spectrum of medical specialties in inpatient medical settings to support the implementation of interventions to address increasing patient needs. Methods: This selected, brief review of the literature sought to describe published psychologically-based interventions delivered in inpatient medical settings. A search for studies catalogued on PubMed from 2007 to 2016 was examined and studies were included in the review if they were delivered within inpatient medical settings. Two reviewers independently assessed relevant studies for criteria. Results: A total of ten articles met the inclusion criteria with interventions targeting outcomes across four primary domains: 1) pain and fatigue; 2) cognition; 3) affective/emotional and; 4) self-harm. Several articles support interventions grounded in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and brief psychological interventions. Most studies reported favorable outcomes for the interventions relative to controls. Conclusions: Psychologically-based interventions, especially those that integrate components of cognitive-behavioral therapy and a multidisciplinary approach, can be implemented in inpatient medical settings and may promote improved patient outcomes. However, the quality of this evidence requires formal assessment, requiring more comprehensive reviews are needed to replicate findings and clarify effectiveness of interventions.