Psychosocial training in Gaza and the West Bank

‘As a surgeon, I realise psychological aspects are the most important. They affect the patient’s ability to recover and will to live’

Mohamed Ziara, Surgeon, Gaza following the workshops.

Managing burn patients is extremely challenging. Healthcare staff – nurses, surgeons, therapists and nutritionists – treat patients who are often in great pain and shock as they face potentially long term and life-changing injuries. Psychosocial skills are vital for staff to support patient recovery and look after their own well-being, especially in low resource settings.

The need for psychosocial training was highlighted in 2019 by a Psychosocial Needs Assessment in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPT) by the Centre for Global Burn Injury Policy and Research (CGBIPR), and by Interburns Delivery Assessment Tool (DAT).

Two workshops in July 2022 trained over 70 staff from burn units in the West Bank and Gaza in Psychosocial Rehabilitation for Burn Care. Training focussed on localised patient case studies supported by a Training Manual in Arabic and English. The training was discussion-based and designed to build the capacity of staff to manage a range of complex situations and share experiences. Group tasks engaged teams to identify patient factors affecting recovery, and participants bandaged each other’s hands to try to understand the discomfort and frustration that burn patients feel.

Local psychologists supported delivery with simultaneous translation and encouraged open discussion often around sensitive subjects such as amputation and suicide. Faculty commented that healthcare staff may know and read about difficult issues but have little time, or even the necessary language, to express them; talking with colleagues is essential. Participants felt that each team member can give a different level of support and that listening is a vital and often underestimated skill.

Our thanks to all involved, in particular Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) who funded the training and who have been a valuable partner since 2015; Changing Faces UK; Dr Anna Turner, Clinical Psychologist in Adult and Paediatric Burns, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and Dr Rachel Mumford, Principal Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Lead for Paediatric Psychology, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust; Dr Murad Amro, Senior Psychologist, Palestinian Counselling Centre (PCC), Ramallah; and Mahmoud Asfour, Clinical Psychologist and Eman Almusadder, Psychotherapist, Ministry of Health (MoH), Gaza.