Self-reported incidents of violence towards nurses working in acute psychiatric units.

BACKGROUND:  Acute psychiatric units are found to be stressful working environments because of the nature of illness patients present with. OBJECTIVES:  This study aimed to determine self-reported incidents of physical and verbal violence towards nurses working in acute psychiatric units in Western Cape, South Africa. METHOD:  A questionnaire was used to collect data. Chi-square test was performed to determine association between gender, category and experience of violence. Mann-Whitney U test was carried out to determine associations between years of employment and the likelihood of experiencing physical violence and verbal abuse. RESULTS:  Overall physical violence 35 (34.3%) and verbal abuse 83 (83%) incidents. Most female respondents reported both physical violence (74.2%, n = 26) and verbal abuse (72.2%, n = 60), with (56.2%, n = 18) professional nurses reporting physical violence. Years of employment was statistically significantly associated with the likelihood of nurses experiencing physical violence (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION:  Most respondents (74.2%, n = 26) were females and they mostly experienced physical violence and verbal abuse while 28.2% (n = 29) were males. Years of service were associated with the likelihood of experiencing physical violence.Contribution: The knowledge gained will add on existing knowledge about the challenge of violence experienced by nurses in the workplace and might have an influence on policymakers.

Experience of violence, coping and support for nurses working in acute psychiatric wards.

Background: Acute psychiatric wards are stressful working environments because of the nature of the mental illness of patients admitted. These patients present with a variety of complex psychiatric problems and social control that require skilled and competent nurses to manage them. The shortage of nurses, especially with advanced psychiatric qualifications or necessary experience, may create challenges for nurses as they navigate this stressful working environment. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and describe nurses' experience of patient violence, coping strategies and received support whilst working in acute wards in psychiatric hospitals. Setting: This study was conducted in six acute wards of the three psychiatric hospitals in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: A qualitative, explorative, descriptive design was conducted using semi-structured interviews to obtain data from 14 nurses working in acute wards in three psychiatric hospitals in the Western Cape. Results: Five themes were generated using thematic analysis: violence perceived to be 'part of the job', contributing factors to patient violence, physical and psychological effects on nurses, adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies and perceived support from stakeholders. Conclusion: Participants normalised patient violent behaviour as being part of the job to minimise the physical and psychological effects of the traumatic experience. Adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies were used to cope with the traumatic experiences of being assaulted by patients. Recommendations allude to practising self-care and attendance of training in the management of aggressive patients for nurses, to enhance a variety of adaptive coping strategies.

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. Contribution: This is the first systematic review focusing on supportive interventions for nurses in acute psychiatric settings. The knowledge gained from this review will add to the existing research knowledge base in the field.

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.