SPECIAL ARTICLE   Free access

Minerva Psychiatry 2021 June;62(2):103-6

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6612.21.02180-4

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Family ad relatives of COVID-19 inpatients: the neglected needs of a vulnerable population

Carla GRAMAGLIA ^{1, 2} ✉, Raffaella CALATI ^{3, 4}, Patrizia ZEPPEGNO ^{1, 2}

¹ Institute of Psychiatry, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy; ² Unit of Psychiatry, Maggiore della Carità University Hospital, Novara, Italy; ³ Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; ⁴ Department of Adult Psychiatry, Nîmes University Hospital, Nîmes, France

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has violently impacted the Italian population and health care system, with relevant consequences on physical as well as on mental health. To date, the population of COVID-infected inpatients’ informal caregivers is still understudied, despite preliminary reports suggesting that anxiety may be a concern in this group of individuals. Higher awareness about the specific problems and needs of the relatives/careers/loved ones of COVID-19 inpatients is necessary, to implement prompt support and intervention strategies. The daily phone call may become a valuable opportunity to offer both clinical information about the patient and empathic listening and support to patients’ relatives, who may find it difficult to ask for help in another context.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19; Inpatients; Caregivers; Family