scholarly journals Measuring therapeutic engagement in acute mental health inpatient environments: the perspectives of service users and mental health nurses

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Chambers ◽  
S. McAndrew ◽  
F. Nolan ◽  
B. Thomas ◽  
P. Watts ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A key component of caring for service users (SUs) in acute mental health inpatient environments is Therapeutic Engagement (TE). To that end, the Therapeutic Engagement Questionnaire (TEQ) was developed and validated. The TEQ measures TE between SUs and registered mental health nurses (RMHNs) from the perspective of both parties and can quantify and recognise how nurses engage with SUs and monitor this activity as well as its enhancement of SU care and recovery. The aim of this study was to explore the views of SUs and RMHNs in relation to the TEQ and how it could be adopted into clinical practice within an acute inpatient environment. Methods As part of the validation stage of the development of the TEQ, the views of 628 SUs and 543 RMHNs were collected using a qualitative approach by way of free text at the end of the questionnaire. Two questions required free text response: – ‘what do you think of the TEQ?’, and ‘how can it be utilised?’ Results Following thematic analysis, it was found that both sets of participants stated that such a tool could be utilised to improve the service, could help nurses with reflective practice, be utilised as part of clinical supervision and to aid nurses’ professional development. The nurse participants also stated that such a tool would help track SU participation and enablement in their care. Furthermore, the nurses noted that the tool would help to reinforce the core ‘caring’ value of nursing and the overall goal of recovery. The SUs added that the TEQ would recognise the work of mental health nurses and provide them with a clear opportunity to express their views in relation to nursing staff. Conclusions Therapeutic engagement (TE) has been identified as part of the repertoire of mental health nursing and both groups of participants identified how a tool to assess this construct may be utilised in day-to-day clinical practice to the benefit of each group.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Chambers ◽  
Sue McAndrew ◽  
Fiona Nolan ◽  
Benjamin Thomas ◽  
Paul Watts ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: A key component of caring for service users (SUs) in acute mental health inpatient environments is Therapeutic Engagement (TE). To that end, the Therapeutic Engagement Questionnaire (TEQ) was developed and validated. The TEQ measures TE between SUs and registered mental health nurses (RMHNs) from the perspective of both parties and can quantify and recognise how nurses engage with SUs and monitor this activity as well as its enhancement of SU care and recovery. The aim of this study was to explore the views of SUs and RMHNs in relation to the TEQ and how it could be adopted into clinical practice within an acute inpatient environment.Methods: As part of the validation stage of the development of the TEQ, the views of 628 SUs and 543 RMHNs were collected using a qualitative approach by way of free text at the end of the questionnaire. Two questions required free text response: – ‘what do you think of the TEQ?’, and ‘how can it be utilised?’Results: Following thematic analysis, it was found that both sets of participants stated that such a tool could be utilised to improve the service, could help nurses with reflective practice, be utilised as part of clinical supervision and to aid nurses’ professional development. The nurse participants also stated that such a tool would help track SU participation and enablement in their care. Furthermore, the nurses noted that the tool would help to reinforce the core ‘caring’ value of nursing and the overall goal of recovery. The SUs added that a TE tool would recognise the work of mental health nurses and provide them with a clear opportunity to express their views in relation to nursing staff.Conclusions: Therapeutic engagement (TE) has been identified as part of the repertoire of mental health nursing and both groups of participants identified how a tool to assess this construct may be utilised in day-to-day clinical practice to the benefit of each group.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-69
Author(s):  
John Fowler

In this new series, John Fowler, a noted nursing author, will explore the use of reflection in mental health nursing. Over the next eight issues, John will be examining some of the techniques that mental health nurses can use to aid their own reflection and how reflection can be applied to clinical practice and management. The series will cover portfolios, reflective learning, reflective evidence, the use of feedback and reflection in all aspects of life.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lesley Davies

<p>The aims of this research were to explore mental health nurses' knowledge and experience of vicarious traumatization (VT). Literature linking mental health nursing and VT is sparse. VT is an enduring trauma that affects those who engage empathically across time and with different patients. Mental health nurses form ongoing therapeutic relationships with patients to foster healing. This empathic engagement leaves nurses vulnerable to VT. This project is qualitatively designed using narrative enquiry with in-depth, semistructured interviews of mental health nurses. Data gathered was thematically analysed and four main themes identified: the impact of VT; self-knowledge/self-awareness; self-care; and burnout. Participants in this study felt unprepared for the negative impact of mental health nursing and learned of VT 'on the job'. My recommendations include education on identifying VT, and self-care, including clinical supervision, to ameliorate the effects of VT. Further research is needed to explore the links between VT and mental health nursing.</p>


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward White ◽  
Julie Winstanley

This paper reports on selected findings from a novel randomised controlled trial (RCT) conducted in mental health settings in Queensland, Australia. Several national and state reports recently revealed the sub-optimal state of Australian mental health service provision which have direct implications for mental health nursing, including the privately experienced cost of working and coping in these settings. Clinical supervision (CS), a structured staff support arrangement, has shown promise as a positive contribution to the clinical practice development agenda and is now found reflected in health policy themes elsewhere in the world. However, CS is underdeveloped in Australia and the empirical evidence base for the informed implementation of CS, per se, has remained elusive. Within the overall context of a RCT design, therefore, and supplemented by other data collection methods, this large and generously funded study attempted to make an incremental contribution to better understanding this demanding substantive domain. Whilst the substantive insights and theoretical propositions reported here were derived from, and may be limited by, a sub-specialty of nursing and a single geographic location, they were earthed in the personal self-reported experience of those directly involved with a clinical practice innovation. They may resonate with counterparts beyond mental health nursing and Queensland, Australia, respectively, therefore, and may assist in both conceptualising and operationalising CS research, education, management, policy and clinical practice development decision making in the future.


Author(s):  
Victoria Clarke ◽  
Frances Byrne

This chapter is all about helping you to understand what mental health nursing is. To this end, we will consider what you must know and do when you first meet people with mental health problems. We will introduce a personal account from a mental health service user early in the chapter in order to help you begin to understand what working with people with mental health problems is like and what service users want from mental health nurses. In an effort to help you become familiar with what mental health nursing is, we will explore the following issues: what is a profession; what is nursing; what beliefs and values inform nursing; why is it important for mental health nurses to be self-aware; and what do mental health nurses need to know? In the final part of this chapter we explore the nature of boundaries in professional relationships and the implications of this for practice as a mental health nurse. Before you read any further we would encourage you to recognize that mental health service users are, quite rightly, the real experts in their care and needs. It is vitally important that you listen and really attend to what they are saying to you. We have asked a service user, Deborah Living, to represent for you some of the important issues that she would like mental health nurses to be aware of, and Deborah is going to tell you part of her own life story. I consider myself to be a survivor…not just a survivor of mental health difficulties but also a survivor of mental health services. I feel I am a survivor because I have reclaimed my life after more than ten years of mental health diagnoses and treatments: diagnoses from clinical depression to cyclothymia (described as a ‘milder’ form of manic depression); antidepressants and mood stabilisers from prozac to lithium; and interventions from counselling to psychiatry, through ECT to being an inpatient. It took me over a decade and a 12-month stay in a residential therapeutic community to stop the ‘revolving door’ approach within the mental health service, whereby I would gain short-term stability only to relapse yet again.


Author(s):  
Benjamin Milward ◽  
Elizabeth Collier

This article presents a critical reflection on an experience relating to sexuality from two perspectives, a mental health nursing student and a lecturer. It took place during stage 1 of a graduate entry nursing 2-year Master of Science mental health nursing programme at a UK university. Student mental health nurses in higher education who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender can feel less safe than others, which affects performance. Lecturers can make a difference to the educational experience of student nurses who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and this can have an impact on clinical practice. The emotional impact of ‘coming out’ in the classroom can have far-reaching consequences for their mental health. The response of educational staff can have a huge impact on the ability to learn and the marks achieved. Student–lecturer relationships can have transformative consequences. Student mental health nurses make meaning from their educational experiences in the classroom and clinical practice. If they do not see themselves represented, this can affect engagement and motivation. Safe nursing practice is role modelled from lecturer to student and has implications for service user experience in clinical settings.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Una Foye ◽  
Christian Dalton-Locke ◽  
Jasmine Harju-Seppanen ◽  
Rebecca Lane ◽  
Lewys Beams ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroductionWhile evidence has emerged concerning the impact of Covid-19 on the general population and the challenges facing health services, much less is known regarding how the pandemic has directly affected the delivery of mental health nursing care.AimThis paper aims to explore how Covid-19 has affected the ability of mental health nurses to deliver care in community and inpatient mental health services in the UK.MethodWe investigated staff reports regarding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental healthcare and mental health service users in the UK, using a mixed methods online survey. A total of 897 nurses across a range of inpatient and community settings participated.DiscussionKey themes within the data explore: new ways of working; remote working; risks of infection/infection control challenges; and the impact on service users. Targeted guidelines are required to support mental health nurses providing care and support during a pandemic to people in severe mental distress, often in unsuitable environments.Implications for PracticeService developments need to occur alongside tailored guidance and support for staff welfare supported by clear leadership. These findings identify areas requiring attention and investment to prepare for future crises and the consequences of the pandemic.Accessible SummaryWhat is known on the subject?During the Covid-19 pandemic there has been research considering the impact on medical healthcare professionals and the mental health needs of the general population. However, limited focus has been placed on mental health services or mental health staff providing care in the community and in hospitals. Whilst nurses make up the largest section of the mental health workforce in the UK, the impact that this pandemic has had on their work has been largely ignored.What the paper adds to existing knowledge?This paper provides a unique insight into the experiences and impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on mental health nurses across a range of community and inpatient settings to understand what has changed in their work and the care they can and do provide during this crisis. This includes exploring how services have changed, the move to remote working, the impact of the protective equipment crisis on nurses, and the difficult working conditions facing those in inpatient settings where there is minimal guidance provided.What are the implications for practice?By understanding the impact the pandemic has had on mental health nursing care, we can understand the gaps in guidance that exist, the challenges being faced, and the impact the crisis has had on care for mental health service users. By doing so we can plan for the ongoing nature of this pandemic as well as the aftermath that the crisis may leave for our service users and workforce alike.Relevance StatementThis paper provides insight into the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the service and care that mental health nurses are expected to and can provide. As a workforce that often requires ongoing face to face contact with service users, many in serious distress, in inpatient and community settings, it is important that we understand their experiences and the challenges and risks that face this workforce. This will enable us to ensure that future planning, guidance, support and safeguarding can take place during the ongoing and future crises.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lesley Davies

<p>The aims of this research were to explore mental health nurses' knowledge and experience of vicarious traumatization (VT). Literature linking mental health nursing and VT is sparse. VT is an enduring trauma that affects those who engage empathically across time and with different patients. Mental health nurses form ongoing therapeutic relationships with patients to foster healing. This empathic engagement leaves nurses vulnerable to VT. This project is qualitatively designed using narrative enquiry with in-depth, semistructured interviews of mental health nurses. Data gathered was thematically analysed and four main themes identified: the impact of VT; self-knowledge/self-awareness; self-care; and burnout. Participants in this study felt unprepared for the negative impact of mental health nursing and learned of VT 'on the job'. My recommendations include education on identifying VT, and self-care, including clinical supervision, to ameliorate the effects of VT. Further research is needed to explore the links between VT and mental health nursing.</p>


In order to provide sound, person-centred care, mental health nursing students need a thorough understanding of theory alongside the ability to translate this knowledge into practice. It can be difficult to apply ideas from the classroom and books when learning how to work with mental health service users for the first time. That is why the theoretical aspects of this book are presented alongside realistic accounts of nursing practice. Fundamentals of Mental Health Nursing is a case-based and service user centred textbook for mental health nursing students. Designed to support students throughout their pre-registration studies, the text covers the essential knowledge required to provide high quality nursing care. Contributions from real service users and cases of fictional clients are explored in detail to provide excellent transferable skills for practice. Dedicated chapters explore fundamental nursing skills and mental health law before providing a case-based exploration of the areas and subjects that will be encountered by students in university and placement. Practice-based chapters introduce students to the needs of a diverse range of fictional clients and explain how the skills of communication, assessment, care planning and monitoring can be applied. Each chapter provides a sample care plan explaining why and how clinical decisions are made, so that students can develop their own skills and practice. The text opens with clear advice to help students succeed in their studies and concludes with a wealth of practical and thoughtful advice on becoming a professional and getting that first job. Online Resource Centre * Twenty one video clips of fictional service users demonstrate the application of theory and prepare students for real nursing practice * Quizzes, scenarios and a range of activities help students to apply their learning * Interactive glossary explains terminology and jargon * Sample CV's and self awareness exercises aid professional development


2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Hanrahan ◽  
Gail W. Stuart ◽  
Pat Brown ◽  
Mary Johnson ◽  
Claire Burke Draucker ◽  
...  

Managing the supply of psychiatric-mental health nursing labor, determining the financial incentives associated with the provision of services by these providers, and ensuring optimal patient and cost outcomes are critical elements of cost control and patient safety in the current health care market. Knowledge of the psychiatric-mental health nursing workforce is needed to plan and evaluate cost-effective programs to accomplish the aforementioned elements. However, the psychiatric-mental health nursing workforce data are woefully inadequate. This paper will review the extent to which national data sources contain workforce information on psychiatric-mental health nurses.


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