Developing a network for psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy in Austria

Abstract

In Austria additional in-patient treatment facilities for psychosomatic patients are currently established. In this context an advisory board of the planned psychosomatic clinics suggests to develop a network for psychosomatics and psychotherapy. This suggestion focuses on four goals: further integration of specialised psychosomatic care into general medical care; further promotion of general psychosomatic care in primary health care; increasing acceptance of psychotherapy among psychosomatic patients in need of psychotherapeutic interventions; decreasing the number of chronic psychosomatic disorders by early and adequate treatment. The proposed network should involve three levels of cooperation: the primary care level, the specialised psychosomatic-psychotherapeutic level and the institutional level of planning future structural developments according to the actual needs and demands. Such a network should also facilitate a common approach regarding the admission of patients, in-patient treatment and post-treatment care. A need inventory and an implementation analysis involving all levels of cooperation as well as the patients perspective are regarded as a prerequisite for the implementation of the network.