Authors (including presenting author) :
TSE LC(1), CHEUNG KY(1), TO KM(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Occupational Therapy Department, Tai Po Hospital
Introduction :
Psychological distress and impaired wellbeing stemmed from COVID-19 were the concerns of patients in psychiatric unit. To address their needs, a 5-session psycho-educational talk of ‘5 ways to wellbeing’ focusing on connect, be active, keep learning, be aware and help, was introduced. According to the UK government’s Foresight Project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing published in 2008, ‘5 ways to Wellbeing’ was effective in improving one’s mental wellbeing. In this study, helpful tips were highlighted to help patients to stay emotionally, socially and psychologically healthy. Comments were collected and a satisfaction survey would be implemented in 2021.
Objectives :
1) To teach our client to learn the benefits of improving wellbeing 2) To educate them how to ‘try the 5” in their daily lives 3) To improve existing service 4) To guide future study in 2021.
Methodology :
Convenient sampling was used as restricted by social distancing and suspension of group treatment in hospital. The psycho-education was conducted in 5 consecutive days with one domain a day. An occupational therapist and assistant would give the 30 mins psycho-education talk highlighting the benefits of improving wellbeing & helpful tips. Work sheets and action plans were assigned to deepen their understandings. A video clip was tailor-made & a translated fact sheet from The Royal Melbourne Hospital was used. Clients were advised to sit on their own bed with no verbal communication encouraged. Verbal and written feedback was gathered after completion of 5 sessions.
Result & Outcome :
From Sept to Dec 2020, 181 female patients were enrolled with diagnoses of depression, BAD and schizophrenia. Their age ranged from 18-64 with main life roles as homemaker and paid worker. Three aspects of positive feedbacks were gathered and they believed their lives would be guided with the practical idea generated in the talk. They were inspired and confident to use technology to stay connected with friends (connect), be active doing physical exercises (be active) and learn new knowledge from online (keep learning). They acknowledged the talks could improve psychological health, happiness and stress coping. Besides, they expected more practical sessions, and sharing and discussion was allowed.
The result from this study was positive and indicative for future service development. Bed-side psycho-education session would be a way to enrich the psychological wellbeing of clients, helping them to regain the control of their lives in the light of Covid. Besides, a second stage study on client’s satisfaction would be conducted.
