©Hospital Universitari Bellvitge

With the new unit, Bellvitge continues to roll out a new model of mental health care, which enhances patient autonomy and eliminates the stigma surrounding these conditions. The goal is to offer a comprehensive approach, with flexible, personalized, and close attention, involving patients and their families in the process.

The new open-door psychiatric hospitalization unit is aimed at individuals who suffer from an acute decompensation of a mental disorder that requires intensive treatment, voluntarily accept hospitalization, and are not at risk of self-harming or showing aggressive behavior towards others.

"The goal is to have an open unit, integrated into the hospital's overall care system as another unit, where patients requiring hospitalization for a mental disorder receive effective and safe treatment, while respecting their autonomy and freedom of movement, just like in any other hospital service. Open hospitalization is based on collaboration and the patient's involvement in their treatment process, and in shared responsibility in decision-making," explains Dr. Pino Alonso, head of the Psychiatry Service at Bellvitge Hospital.

The launch of the new space for hospitalization responds to the progressive implementation of a new mental health care model at Bellvitge, which places the person at the center of attention, ensuring maximum respect for their autonomy and personal dignity, while working to eliminate the social stigma of mental illnesses. The hospital has been developing this model through various initiatives for months, aiming to treat mental health disorders voluntarily, just like any other medical or surgical condition that requires hospitalization.

The new unit, with a capacity for 16 patients, has replaced the usual central nursing control with a large, open central space without architectural barriers to foster socialization among the patients, the carrying out of group activities, and meetings with relatives. In line with the humanization of spaces across the entire HUB, the new unit has named each of its rooms after a listed farmhouse in the Delta del Llobregat.

A new system for the relationship between professionals and patients has been implemented, based on the Safewards methodology, which uses communication strategies to anticipate and manage conflict situations, reducing the use of restrictive and coercive measures, such as mechanical or chemical restraint and isolation. The new unit also includes a multisensory room for patients, equipped with adjustable lighting.

Previous experiences with open-door psychiatric hospitalization units have shown that this approach improves patient adherence to treatment, fosters trust-based relationships with professionals, reduces stigma associated with psychiatric treatments, and globally promotes a more positive social perception of mental health hospitalization, similar to that of any other condition requiring hospitalization.

As Dr. Alonso summarizes, the paradigm shift integrated into the new unit aims to strengthen patient involvement in decision-making about their condition "and offer a comprehensive approach that combines physical and mental health and promotes patient autonomy with flexible, personalized, and close attention, supported by family participation." In this regard, it is important to highlight that the Psychiatry Service has also launched various activities and occupational therapy workshops for patients, such as Bon dia!, a daily meeting space to reflect on the experience of hospitalization and aspects of cohabitation among unit users; Paraules que consolen, a library of recommended titles by authors and professionals; art therapy workshops, mindfulness sessions, therapeutic walks, horticulture, and a cineforum.

In parallel with this new unit, the hospital will continue to offer a conventional closed psychiatric hospitalization unit, located in a section of the former Nursing School, which will be renovated in the coming months. This unit will provide intensive treatment for individuals with mental disorders who, due to their condition, are at risk of self-harming or hetero-aggressive behavior and do not accept voluntary treatment.

Link: https://bellvitgehospital.cat/es/actualitat/noticia/El-Hospital-de-Bellvitge-abre-una-pionera-planta-de-%20hospitalizaci%C3%B3n-de-Psiquiatr%C3%ADa