Description
The Heidelberg University Hospital (HUH) is one of the leading medical centres in Europe. Its Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics is the only psychosomatic department in Germany that is simultaneously integrated into an Internist Medical Clinic and a Center for Psychosocial Medicine. Strongly linked with each other, the Medical Faculty in Heidelberg is one of the oldest medical faculties in Germany with approximately 400 new students per year.
Teaching staff members of the department of psychosomatics are experts in the interaction of physical, cognitive, mental and social factors in psychosomatic conditions. Especially Post-COVID patients, who often suffer from mental health disorders like chronic fatigue, pain or depression, benefit from the variety of methods in diagnosis, treatment and care.
As all European hospitals, HUH was affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, had to manage the governmental rules and regulations, and make the necessary adaptations in nearly every process regarding care supply, personnel management and education. In the department of psychosomatics, the staff works closely together in order to prevent a worsening of patients' pre-existing mental illnesses due to rising fears of infection and depression. Last not least, outpatients' services in two locations care for patients in need of mental health support.