Syllabus
1. Introduction to the subject and methods of psychology, theoretical and applied disciplines of psychology, basic psychic phenomena (processes, contents and states) and concepts (unconscious, mentalization), other influences on the psyche (gender, culture, socio-economic status, bias)
2. Health and illness, health care errors (biopsychosocial model) - acceptance of diagnosis, adaptive mechanisms, risk and protective factors
3. Children and childhood - Basic milestones of PMV in children
4. Clinical-psychological examination in children - its possibilities and limits
5. Clinical-psychological examination in adults - its possibilities and limits
6. The doctor-patient relationship
7. Introduction to psychosomatics
8. Psychosomatic disorders, reactions to stress
9. Chronic illness - Chronic illness in the context of the family system
10. Pain and anxiety
11. Limits and possibilities of psychotherapy
12. Burn-out syndrome and relaxation methods
13. Communication at the end of life (loss, death, grieving process, illness of a loved one)
Annotation
It is a compulsory study subject, which belongs to the subjects of profiling basis. By completing it, the student acquires knowledge and skills in the field of bioethics and psychology in health care, which are a prerequisite for further successful study in higher years.
A holistic approach to the patient in the pursuit of his/her health includes not only the somatic dimension but also other dimensions (e.g. psychological, social, ethical), which are the focus of this course. Within the psychological dimension, students will be introduced to general (e.g., basic psychological phenomena), clinical psychology (e.g., disorders of emotion and behavior), personality psychology (e.g., intersubjective differences in personality structure), and psychosomatics.
Within the social and ethical dimension, students will learn in particular about basic dilemmas concerning the life of the individual (e.g. birth, death, resource allocation, organ donation) and about legal and ethical standards in the provision of health care (e.g. informed consent, the institution of advance directives, principles of medical ethics). In this course, increased emphasis is placed on considering all dimensions (i.e., somatic, psychological, social, ethical) simultaneously through critical work with ethically controversial case studies drawn from the Czech health care system.
Patient Centred Care (PCC) represents a shift in healthcare delivery where healthcare professionals should take significant account of the needs of their patients. In this course, students will learn about the psychosocial needs of patients, including their family systems.
These needs are shaped and evolve with respect to sociodemographic criteria (e.g., age, gender, religion, ethnicity), psychosocial development (e.g., childhood, old age, gender), or value systems (e.g., normative ethics, current legislation). For physicians, the above-mentioned developments are compounded by the maxim to provide health care lege artis (e.g., informed consent, advance directives, code of ethics) in an effort to identify and articulate the needs of their patients in accordance with the principles of medical ethics of nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, and justice).
The goal is to jointly develop a treatment plan for the patient while making every effort to meet the patient's needs (he/she knows best what he/she wants) and maintaining all standards for health care delivery (the physician should know best how to achieve this). This goal is most easily achieved in the context of an excellent doctor-patient relationship (e.g., trust, empathy, truthful information).