Česky
The initial shock of cancer diagnosis and fear of the medical environment, fears during therapy and deterioration of the psyche after the first stage of treatment - this is how Lucie Čapková describes the most common situations when cancer patients seek help from a psychologist. Everyone needs professional care at a different stage of their illness and treatment, which is why at Multiscan we offer that patients can turn to a psychologist at any time during their journey towards recovery. And patients welcome and use this opportunity to meet with a professional.
The psychologist is available for as long as needed
"A consultation with a psychologist can be a one-off appointment, but cooperation with our psychologist Tereza Aulichová, PhD, can also be longer-term," says Lucie Čapková. "Every patient is different and we always try to set up psychological help in such a way that it is effective and brings results."
It is Lucie Čapková and her colleagues from the outpatient clinics who are often the first healthcare professionals a patient meets as part of their new, oncological diagnosis. And even though patients usually do not ask for psychological help themselves, experienced nurses and doctors can tell who is "not well" and who needs to be offered psychological care as soon as possible. Patients can arrange the timing and other details of a consultation with a psychologist directly in the outpatient clinic. "Sometimes, however, it is better to give patients an information leaflet so that they can read about the possibilities of psychological help when they are at home, perhaps with their families," explains Lucie Čapková.
Patients are exposed to an influx of information when they are told their cancer diagnosis, so they need to be given time and space to get to know the situation properly.
Just call us and make an appointment, says the coordinator
The feeling that the treatment and the events surrounding the cancer disease can be handled by the person alone is more common among older patients, according to station nurse Lucie Čapková. For them, a consultation with a psychologist is often a great unknown and they perceive it as their own failure. On the other hand, younger patients consider psychological help to be natural to a large extent and it is often the younger family members who are behind the change in the patient's opinion about this help.
"Then all they have to do is call our outpatient clinic and together we can arrange the most convenient time to meet with a psychologist. I, as the coordinator, will prepare a summary of basic information for the psychologist, and then the patient just arrives at the dispensary on the agreed date and time. The service is covered by the public health insurance, so the interested parties do not have to worry that it would be a financial burden for them," adds Lucie Čapková.
Source: Néa 10, autumn 2021, text: Petra Dulíková, photo: Lenka Bukačová
