The challenges of mental health care reform for contemporary mental health nursing practice: delivery of nursing care

This ethnographic account of mental health nursing in a 22-bed acute inpatient facility in New South Wales, Australia, uncovered cultural meaning and cultural realities associated with the delivery of nursing care within the context of current challenges, demands, and influences brought about by service reforms. The findings demonstrate that mental health nurses have been responsive to changes brought about by the reforms. The ability of nurses to readily identify service gaps in their everyday practice provides them with the opportunity to develop strategies to respond to workplace challenges. As such, findings of the study contribute to current discussions concerning acute inpatient mental health nursing practice.     

The process of nursing care in mental health

This is an essay about the nursing working process in mental health. Several conceptions have substantiated the psychiatric assistance, as well as the proposals of reorientation of those practices; nursing practices have been related to that process. The professionals' standpoint determines the choice of a tendency and the understanding of the health-illness process. The need of reviewing the nursing working object, as well as its practice in view of the transformations in mental health assistance, has pointed towards new professional attitudes regarding the person with psychic disorders, as well as towards the acquisition of knowledge besides that one obtained at college courses.     

The discursive construction of dementia care: implications for mental health nursing

This paper describes an inquiry to increase understanding of the role of personal tutor in a college of nursing and midwifery. Concepts of tutor and role are discussed in relation to their historical influences and an over view is provided of the research process which included document analysis and reflective audio-taped interviews with student nurses, teachers and education managers. Five conceptual categories are identified and critically analysed in relation to personal, institutional and social contexts and the factors which influence them. The first two categories identified reflect the concepts discussed in the literature. The third category reflects the uncertainties and confusion which surround differing perceptions of the role. The fourth category suggests the misunderstandings which may occur through taking for granted apparently shared concepts. The fifth category suggests the significance of personal theory in practice and the extent to which roles are taken or made. Traditional values concerning theory and practice are thus challenged. The reflective evidence provided by the participants suggests a theory, generated by them through the meanings they give to their views and actions, concerning their roles and the situation in which they find themselves at a particular point in time.     

The concept of spiritual care in mental health nursing

AIM: In this paper we aim to clarify the issue of spiritual care in the context of mental health nursing. BACKGROUND: The concept of spirituality in nursing has received a great deal of attention in recent years. However, despite many articles addressed to the issue, spiritual care remains poorly understood amongst nursing professionals and, as a result, spiritual needs are often neglected within the context of health care. METHODS: A series of focus groups was conducted to obtain the views of service users, carers and mental health nursing professionals about the concept of spirituality and the provision of spiritual care in mental health nursing. RESULTS: According to the views expressed in our focus groups, spiritual care relates to the acknowledgement of a person's sense of meaning and purpose to life which may, or may not, be expressed through formal religious beliefs and practices. The concept of spiritual care was also associated with the quality of interpersonal care in terms of the expression of love and compassion towards patients. Concerns were expressed that the ethos of mental health nursing and the atmosphere of care provision were becoming less personal, with increasing emphasis on the 'mechanics of nursing'. CONCLUSIONS: The perceived failure of service providers to attend adequately to this component of care may be symptomatic of a medical culture in which the more readily observable and measurable elements in care practice have assumed a prominence over the more subjective, deeply personal components. In order for staff to acknowledge these issues it is argued that a more holistic approach to care should be adopted, which would entail multidisciplinary education in spiritual care.     

Psychiatric diagnosis: some implications for mental health nursing care

Psychiatric diagnosis: some implications for mental health nursing care This article explores some of the functions of psychiatric diagnosis and the implications this has for the mental health nursing care that service users receive. It proposes that because a psychiatric diagnosis often fails to describe the individual's experience of mental distress it can be regarded as a categorization process that, while not necessarily intentionally, serves to maintain oppressive power relations within society. It does this by establishing and maintaining the parameters of normality and abnormality in a manner that reflects particular gender, culture and class biases. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will be used to illustrate some of the inherent biases in the diagnostic process. Mental health nursing practice needs to demonstrate an awareness of the power relations inherent in any diagnostic process and make attempts to redress these at both the individual and sociopolitical levels. If mental health nursing practice is a patient-centred partnership, as many of our nursing standards suggest, then nursing's focus should be on the patient's experience rather than the psychiatric diagnosis with which the experience is attributed. Mental health nurses need to turn to service users to learn how best to help.     

Psychiatric diagnosis: some implications for mental health nursing care

This article explores some of the functions of psychiatric diagnosis and the implications this has for the mental health nursing care that service users receive. It proposes that because a psychiatric diagnosis often fails to describe the individual's experience of mental distress it can be regarded as a categorization process that, while not necessarily intentionally, serves to maintain oppressive power relations within society. It does this by establishing and maintaining the parameters of normality and abnormality in a manner that reflects particular gender, culture and class biases. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will be used to illustrate some of the inherent biases in the diagnostic process. Mental health nursing practice needs to demonstrate an awareness of the power relations inherent in any diagnostic process and make attempts to redress these at both the individual and sociopolitical levels. If mental health nursing practice is a patient-centred partnership, as many of our nursing standards suggest, then nursing's focus should be on the patient's experience rather than the psychiatric diagnosis with which the experience is attributed. Mental health nurses need to turn to service users to learn how best to help.     

Reconstructing mental health nursing in home care

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric care for people in Sweden with long-term mental health problems has shifted from institutional to community and home settings. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore and describe mental health nurses' experiences of how structural changes in mental health nursing influence interaction when providing home care to patients with long-term mental health problems. METHOD: We conducted interviews with 11 mental health nurses who provided home care to people with long-term mental health problems. The constant comparative method of grounded theory was used for data collection and analysis. FINDINGS: The process of attempting to reconstruct mental health nursing by entering into the everyday reality of people with long-term mental health problems was identified as the core category. Central to this process was a change in perspective from nurse-controlled to client-centred care. This led to changes in moral values, assessment of client needs, and ways of meeting clients and establishing relationships. However, attempts to reconstruct mental health nursing according to a client-centred perspective became problematic when clients were at risk of harming themselves. In these situations, respondents felt the need to make decisions for clients, and this was experienced as burdensome and lonely. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the process of reconstructing mental health nursing in line with a client-centred perspective is incomplete. Opportunities to interact with people with mental health problems in the home environment may lead to a broader perspective on the daily lives of these people, but also to a realization that home care cannot be modelled on institutional care.     

Group clinical supervision for mental health nursing students

Clinical supervision is recognized as important for developing safe professional practice in nursing. Although attention has been given to the development of training and education in clinical supervision for registered nurses, less discussion exists regarding these issues for pre-registration mental health nursing student to the theory and practice of group clinical supervision. In particular, this article raises awareness and promotes discussion of the practical issues involved in such an initiative.     

The challenges of mental health care reform for contemporary mental health nursing practice: relationships,power and control

This ethnographic investigation was concerned with the way mental health nurses' construct their practice in an acute inpatient psychiatric unit in light of the current challenges, demands and influences brought about by service reforms of the 1990s. The setting for this study was a 22-bed acute inpatient mental health facility. Over a 5-month period, data were collected through fieldwork observations, focused interviews and discussion groups. In this article, common cultural practices in relation to the imperatives of relationships, power, restrictions and safety are discussed. The findings demonstrate how the client stabilization role of the unit locates these imperatives as central to the delivery of nursing care. The discussion reveals nurses negotiating relationships that are contradictory and challenging in ordinary and everyday ways within the exigencies of daily practice.     

Self-harm in young people: a perspective for mental health nursing care

AIMS: This paper addresses the assessment and management of self-harm in young people by a nurse consultant-led self-harm service in the UK. The purpose of the paper is to present some of the theoretical perspectives of the service and how these have influenced current practice with this group of young people. BACKGROUND: Self-harm in young people continues to be a serious concern for health services globally. Rates of self-harm in teenagers in the UK are among the highest in Europe. The current literature offers information on the nature of self-harm and some evidence of specific interventions mainly from a 'psychiatric perspective'. This paper examines the development of a locally based nurse-led self-harm team involved in the care of this group of young people. A sociological view of children and young people is applied in examining the way society construes self-harm and the formation of the behaviour as a deviant act. Self-harm is considered in the context of transition through adolescence and the growth of self-identity. CONCLUSION: The locally based child and adolescent mental health service has drawn together the evolving nurse consultant role, mental health nursing and medical sociology. This integration of people and theory will enhance the services understanding of self-harm in young people. At an international level, there is a need to consider the sociological dimensions of self-harm in young people as a way forward for mental health nurses who are involved in working with this group of people.     

Assessing quality in health care services: lessons from mental health nursing

Quality in health care services is neither a simple nor an apolitical issue. Quality is a complex concept and how it is defined and measured has important consequences for services. The definition and measurement of service quality in health care has slipped from professional toward managerial control. Professionals such as nurses have an absolute concept of quality which is a part of their value system and based upon their training and experience. Managerial concepts of quality may be influenced by other organizational concerns such as the pursuit of efficiency. This paper outlines quality assurance systems in mental health nursing and the wider quality debate and argues that there may well be a trade-off between quality of service and efficiency. The moves toward outcome measures and performance indicators are also discussed and the argument forwarded that such a focus serves to exclude users and cloaks serious issues in service delivery. The argument of this paper is that evaluation of service quality needs to include users, and this could provide them with a platform for enhanced involvement in service planning.     

家庭护理支持对类风湿关节炎患者心理健康及生活自理能力的影响

目的:探讨类风湿关节炎(rheumatoidarthritis,RA)患者的家庭护理支持对其心理健康及生活自理能力的影响。方法:对93例RA患者采用心理支持与信息支持、生活与饮食指导、功能锻炼、自理能力训练等护理支持方法,护理支持前后评估采用SCL-90临床症状自评量表及ADL评定量表进行心理健康程度及生活自理能力评估。结果:1年后患者生活自理能力(t=2.18,P<0.05)及心理健康状态显著提高犤其中躯体化、强迫症状、抑郁、焦虑、恐怖、偏执、精神病性护理支持前的值分别为(1.77±0.49),(2.01±0.54),(2.05±0.58),(1.92±0.49),(1.71±0.44),(1.70±0.50),(1.68±0.43)分,护理支持后的值分别为(1.59±0.52),(1.60±0.52),(1.80±0.59),(1.74±0.52),(1.60±0.46),(1.61±0.45),(1.56±0.48)分,t=2.075～2.252,P<0.05犦。结论:家庭护理支持可有效提升RA患者生活自理能力及心理健康状态。     

The relationship between support and stress in forensic community mental health nursing

AIMS OF THE STUDY/PAPER: This paper reports the results of a survey of forensic community mental health nurses (FCMHNs) in England and Wales which aimed to ascertain the level of stress and burnout experienced by this group. BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: Several studies have identified that mental health nursing is a stressful activity and the relationship between factors such as age, experience, support, caseload size and perceived stress have been explored. However, until recently, no studies have examined the situation of FCMHNs and this paper extends the analysis of studies completed by the main author, considering issues related to coping abilities and support systems. DESIGN/METHODS: The survey involved respondents completing a demographic questionnaire and a range of standardized validated measures (Maslach Burnout Inventory, General Health Questionnaire and Community Psychiatric Nurse Stress Questionnaire). The population for the study was all identified FCMHNs attached to the 26 National Health Service (NHS) Medium Secure Units in England and Wales (n=104). RESULTS/FINDINGS: A high response rate of 77% (n=80) was achieved. The results identified that a number of respondents were experiencing burnout. Statistically significant associations were found between caseload size and level of stress. The results also suggest that support from managers and colleagues were an important factor in ameliorating the experience of stress and show that individuals in this study experiencing high levels of stress adopted palliative behaviours such as use of alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: The paper concludes by suggesting that such findings should be considered when delivering stress management programmes and reinforce the potential benefit of effective clinical supervision as a means of staff support.     

A new field of mental health nursing: care for sex offenders

Sexual assaults have increased enormously in recent years in Taiwan. As a result the government has introduced many new regulations concerning sex offenders, particularly that sex offenders may not be conditionally released without receiving special psychiatric treatment. The consequent introduction of psychiatric care in prisons, established the provision of treatment for sex offenders, and led to the development of a new field. This article outlines the current legislation regarding sex offenders, the medical treatment of sex offenders, and the relationship of such treatment to mental health nursing, and explores the ethical issues involved in the care of sex offenders. We hope that, with the benefit of this introduction to the topic, nurses will better understand sex offenders and that some will become clinical nursing specialists in the field.     

Addressing a deficit: wound care and mental health nursing

This article details the development and implementation of a teaching session introduced to address one of the key clinical skills that mental health nurses require in the practice setting--wound management. The session was introduced to equip a group of final year mental health nursing students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they will need for practicing in a professional environment. The sessions were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in terms of the students' satisfaction with the teaching process, the clinical value and relevance of the content, and to improve the quality of future clinical skills teaching.