Experiences of psychiatric nurses caring for mental healthcare users with a comorbid disorder

Background: Caring for mental healthcare users (MHCUs) with a comorbid disorder of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and schizophrenia has always been challenging and requires expertise, skill, intuition and empathy. Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of psychiatric nurses caring for MHCUs with a comorbid disorder of HIV and schizophrenia. Method: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Eight participants were selected through purposive sampling for individual in-depth interviews to collect data. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Results: Three themes emerged from this study. The first theme is that the psychiatric nurses experienced deep frustration because they were capable but unable to manage MHCUs with HIV and schizophrenia because of poor infrastructure and other contributing barriers. The second theme identified that the psychiatric nurses experienced discrimination against MHCUs compromising their holistic recovery. Lastly, the psychiatric nurses identified the need for health care workers in general hospitals and communities and families of MHCUs with a comorbid disorder to be educated in mental health issues to ensure continuous medical care. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that psychiatric nurses became exhausted when trying to cope with difficult nursing situations. The challenges they faced had negative consequences for the mental health of the psychiatric nurses and compromised patient care. Contribution: This study adds knowledge to nursing practice, nursing education and nursing research by implementing recommendations to mitigate the challenges of psychiatric nurses caring for MHCUs with HIV and schizophrenia.

Support interventions for nurses working in acute psychiatric units: A systematic review

Diverse support interventions have been implemented to provide support for nurses working in acute psychiatric settings. These interventions aimed at modifying the psychological and social factors, as they either prevent stress responses or reduce its effects to improve the psychological well-being of staff. This study aimed to examine effective stress reduction interventions for nurses and to identify key elements of these successful interventions. Studies included in this review were conducted in acute psychiatric settings. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted for support intervention studies between 2010 and 2021. The search yielded 315 studies that were reduced to seven studies after being reviewed by two independent reviewers. The studies were coded, and key elements were identified. Seven studies that were included consisted of a randomised controlled trial, quasi-experimental design and single-group design. Interventions included mindfulness-based stress reduction, burnout prevention programmes, communication skills, educational programme, group intervention, resilience training programme and stress management. Four key elements emerged from these interventions, namely, educational support, interpersonal skills, psychological support and adaptive coping. The findings highlighted the diverse interventions in supporting psychiatric nurses to cope with stress. However, there is a dearth of studies in acute psychiatric settings that were mostly done in emergency settings. Knowledge gained from this review may assist with practice improvement as managers can implement the identified interventions.

The benefits of experiential learning during a service-learning engagement in child psychiatric nursing education

Background. Children, families and communities are affected by mental health challenges caused by high levels of violence and domestic upheaval in South African (SA) communities. There are too few specialised healthcare professionals, e.g. nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists and social workers, to meet the enormous mental healthcare needs of children and adolescents in the country. Because of the unique challenges people face in this context, professionals need to be trained in all aspects of child psychiatric nursing. One important way to provide this training could be a service-learning strategy. In this approach, nursing students are taught how to engage and educate communities by means of community-outreach programmes that form part of the curriculum. The purpose of this article is to report on nursing students' experiences during their community-engagement outreach programmes in the challenging SA healthcare context.Objectives. To explore and describe students' community-based learning experiences during outreach programmes.Method. A qualitative methodological approach used structured reflection reports of 47 students over 3 years as data. Participants' responses were thematically analysed by content.Results. Nursing students experienced community-learning engagement as thought provoking. They were able to practise their professional development within a collaborative environment, which built self-confidence and stimulated critical thinking. They indicated that the experience made them aware of the needs of the community and enabled them to share reciprocal knowledge. It helped them to integrate theory with practice, develop responsible citizenship and enhance professional development.Conclusion. Evidence from a challenging context supports the use of service learning as an ideal approach to develop students' professionalism, ethical responsibility and personal growth to become responsible citizens who can engage with mental health users in the community

Sensory processing disorder: perceptions on the clinical role of advanced psychiatric nurses

Background: No description of the clinical role of the advanced psychiatric nurse in the management of children with sensory processing disorder could be found for the South African context. This is a loss in clinical nursing practice with regard to diagnosis, treatment and research. Aim: To explore and clarify the perceptions of healthcare professionals in South Africa on the clinical role of the advanced psychiatric nurse in sensory processing disorder to provide a description of this role. Setting: The research was conducted by inviting registered healthcare professionals practicing in South Africa to complete several rounds of an on-line survey. Methods: An explorative and descriptive design was used. Purposive sampling was used to identify an initial sample of healthcare professionals, followed by snowball sampling. The Delphi technique was implemented with three sequential rounds, gathering data on the perceptions of the healthcare professionals regarding the clinical role of the advanced psychiatric nurse in sensory processing disorder. Results: The following main themes crystallised from the data ­ (1) Specialised training of the advanced psychiatric nurse (APN) on sensory processing disorder; (2) Interventions carried out by the APN with regard to sensory processing disorder; (3) Adequate support to the family with regard to sensory processing disorder; and (4) Referral of a child with sensory processing disorder. Conclusion: The study indicates that the healthcare professionals who are experts in delivering healthcare to children with sensory processing disorder agree that the APN with additional training in this condition has a clinical role to play in rendering healthcare to these healthcare users. A preliminary clinical role description could be formulated. Recommendations for nursing practice, nursing education and further research were formulated

Experiences of Nurses Caring for Mental Health Care Users in an Acute Admission Unit at a Psychiatric Hospital in the Western Cape Province

Background: Caring for mental health care users (MHCUs) with mental illnesses is a major task that confronts nurses globally. It has been argued that caring for this group of patients is accompanied by unique challenges. Despite the available abundance of data about nursing patients suffering from mental illnesses; little is known about the lived experiences of nurses who care for MHCUs in acute admission units in the Western Cape province.Objectives: This study's aim is to explore and describe the lived experiences of nurses who care for MHCUs in an acute admission unit at a psychiatric hospital in the Western Cape province.Methods: A qualitative; descriptive; phenomenological study was conducted. A purposive sampling procedure was applied which resulted in a sample that comprised eight nurses. Indepth; individual; semi-structured interviews were conducted with these eight participants. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim and the researcher utilised Collaizzi's method to analyse collected data.Results: Both positive and negative experiences were reported. Positive experiences werethe recovery of patients; teamwork; and passion for caring. Negative experiences were the feelings of being unappreciated and unsupported by authorities. Physical assault by MHCUs;shortage of staff; increased workload and burnout was also reported.Conclusions: In-service training about management of aggression needs to be provided; debriefing sessions to deal with burnout needs to be arranged; and research to quantify levelsof burnout should be conducted

Pratique de la psychothérapie institutionnelle en Côte d'Ivoire : exemple du Centre de Santé Victor Houali de Trinle-Diapleu

La pratique de la Psychotherapie Institutionnelle au centre de sante Victor Houali de Trinle-Diapleu est une experience complexe qui tente d'articuler depuis vingt-deux ans environ; les soins de sante mentale et les soins de sante primaire dans une structure villageoise. Cette experience tres originale s'appuie sur une demarche de recherche action integrant psychotherapie institutionnelle; chimiotherapie et contexte socioculturel africain. Elle peut d'ailleurs servir de reference au developpement de la psychiatrie communautaire et a la necessaire decentralisation des soins psychiatriques en Cote d'Ivoire

Demande de soins psychiatriques : donnees epidemio-cliniques en milieu hospitalier au C.H.U du Point G a Bamako

Cette etude retrospective porte sur cinq annees demandes de soins psychiatriques (1998-2002) dans le service de psychiatrie du C.H.U du Point G. L'objectif general etait d'etudier la demande de soins psychiatriques. Le sexe ratio etait de 1;89 en faveur des hommes 36;57des patients se situaient entre 21-30 ans. L'agitation (20;93) et l'agressivite (15;54) etaient les motifs de demande de soins les plus evoques. La schizophrenie (22;8) et la depression (16;8) etaient les pathologies les plus frequentes

A Model for Psychiatric Nursing Accompaniment of the Patient with Mental Discomfort : Part III

The research process did not proceed in the traditional step-by-step manner. A theory generating approach was followed by way of exploration and description. The first three levels : factor isolating; factor relating and situation relating theories; were generated. A conceptual framework for psychiatric nursing accompaniment of the patient with mental discomfort was formulated on the basis of concept identification and classfication. The concepts mental discomfort; lifestyle finctioning and psychiatric nursing accompaniment were identified and subjected to concept analysis. A systematic; logical and consistent approach led to the conceptualisation of the model for psychiatric nursing accompani- ment of the patient with mental discomfort

La promotion des soins de sante mentale; une exigence du developpement au Zaire

Dans un pays en crise sans revolution philosophique sociale de changement; la promotion de la sante mentale comme finalite de tous les autres etats de sante; eu egard a ses aspects biologiques et sociaux s'avere etre une voie a suivre vers le developpement. Les profesionnels de la sante sont appeles a repenser leur role dans cette vision des choses