Prolonged Hospitalization (PH) and Its Psychological Impacts on Patients in Medical Hospital Clinics: Bibliographic Review

Abstract

Prolonged hospitalization (PH) represents a complex experience that involves not only clinical aspects of disease but also psychological, social, and family repercussions for hospitalized patients. This study aimed to analyze, through a bibliographic review, the psychological impacts associated with PH in patients admitted to hospital medical clinics and to discuss psychological care strategies in the hospital environment. This research adopts a qualitative approach based on a bibliographic survey conducted in databases such as Google Scholar, SciELO, PubMed, the CAPES Journal Portal, institutional repositories, and governmental documents. The literature analysis indicated that prolonged hospital stay is associated with emotional manifestations such as anxiety, fear, sadness, stress, and feelings of social isolation, mainly resulting from the disruption of daily routines, loss of autonomy, and uncertainty regarding the prognosis of illness. Furthermore, studies show that PH also affects family dynamics, generating constant concern, emotional burden, and reorganization of social relationships. The literature also reveals that patients use different coping mechanisms to deal with the illness process, including family support, spirituality, and reinterpretation of the illness experience. In this context, hospital psychology contributes to mental health care through emotional support practices, clinical listening, and mediation of communication between healthcare teams, patients, and families. It is concluded that attention to the psychological dimensions of PH contributes to the promotion of emotional well-being and to the development of more humanized healthcare practices within hospital settings.