Introduction to Department of Psychiatry,

Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital

 

1.    Medical Service

The medical team of our Department of Psychiatry is composed of five major professional disciplines, including psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, and social workers. The attending psychiatrist, being the team leader, facilitates the cooperation among all the five disciplines in evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of the patients in order to provide patients with the most optimal and humane care. Mental illnesses such as schizophrenias, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, neuroses, and psychosomatic disorders are treated at outpatient, acute psychiatric inpatient and mental rehabilitation day ward as well. In additions, there are services such as forensic mental appraisal, intervention for domestic violent offenders, and psychological medicine for geriatric, child and adolescent patients. Besides psychopharmacotherapy, individual and group psychotherapy, occupational therapy, family or marital therapy, psychodrama, biofeedback, muscle relaxation training and self-assertive training are involved in the treatment modalities.

 

2.    Education and Training

Since the KVGH is a medical center, we have comprehensive educational and training programs for internship and residency. According to the psychiatric specialist training standard requested by the “Taiwanese Society of Psychiatry”, a “learning passport” is also designed for resident doctors to clarify their learning objectives throughout the years of training. Attending psychiatrists and other co-professionals of the medical team often attend various kinds of continuing educations and can have chances for on-job advanced studies.

 

3.    Medical Research

Regarding the research aspect in psychiatry, we actively cooperate with the researchers of the Department of Medical Education & Research in our hospital. Aside from the major areas in psychiatry, we do have researches in intracellular signal transduction and molecular genetics in psychiatric disorders, studies in forensic psychiatry, psychogeriatrics as well as psychopharmacology.

 

4.    Continuous Quality Improvements and Assurances

Since the opening of our acute psychiatric ward in 1993, we make great efforts in management and improvement of the psychiatric care quality. We set up various kinds of quality indexes with appropriate thresholds to monitor, maintain, and improve the quality of our clinical services. Assuring the humane care and benefits of the patients are our utmost concerns.