A C-L referral is initiated by the medical and surgical units. Physical illness, especially if it becomes severe or prolonged, can be hard to cope with. The C-L team helps to assess the psychological needs, in order to suggest better ways of coping. Such measures may lead to better treatment adherence and acceptance. Psychiatric assessment helps to identify treatable psychological symptoms. Such symptoms are more common in certain physiological disorders like neurological, endocrine, etc. They may even be caused by certain medications. Sometimes physical illness affect the mental capacity to make certain heath-related decisions. C-L assessment helps to understand all such issues to help decide what measures can help individual or their families cope more effectively with both the physical and psychological side of the illness. Furthermore, the C-L team can help in liaising with other agencies, e.g.., family service centers, drug or alcohol rehabilitation centers, etc. The C-L Team also works closely with the medical social workers and the ward teams.
Introduction