ABSTRACT
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led mental health professionals to change the way they engaged with clients, often replacing in-person consultations with virtual ones via telephone or videoconferencing. While studies have investigated the delivery of virtual physical health care, only a handful have investigated the delivery of virtual mental health. These specifically focussed on the outcomes of virtual care whether experiential, practical, or empirical. The transition from in-person to virtual care delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been unexplored. Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to: (1) Explore the experiences of clients who had to transition from an in-person to a virtual provision of mental health care due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and; (2) Explore the nurses' experiences of this technological transition. Using an interpretive phenomenology methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses and clients who have experienced the in-person to virtual transition of service delivery at a tertiary mental health hospital in Ontario, Canada. In this article, we focus on the results stemming from our interviews with clients. The themes generated from the analysis of client experiences are 1) the psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on clients, (2) mixed feelings of clients towards nursing care delivered via technological means and (3) the role of nurses regarding transitioning of in-person care to technology-mediated care. These findings are relevant as mental health care hospitals are considering how they will deliver services once concerns with the transmission of the COVID-19 virus are resolved.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Mental Health Teletherapy , Psychiatric Nursing , Humans , COVID-19/epidemiology , Delivery of Health Care , Ontario , PandemicsABSTRACT
Parent caregivers support the health and well-being of their adult children with schizophrenia. As a result, parent caregivers spend vast amounts of time providing care, which necessitates changes to their relationships and lives. In this qualitative study, the experiences of parent caregivers for adult children with schizophrenia were explored. Interpretive Description guided the study design, and data were collected through interviews with 12 English-speaking participants. Data were analyzed according to conventional content analysis. The themes "Uncertainty, Change, and Challenges" and "The Meaning of It All" help to articulate the participants' experiences. Overall, the participants reported tremendous distress in their roles. This was compounded by difficulties accessing and navigating the healthcare system and interactions with police. Effective strategies are needed to help parent caregivers cope within their role and gain access to timely and appropriate care.
Subject(s)
Adult Children/psychology , Caregivers/psychology , Parents/psychology , Schizophrenia/therapy , Schizophrenic Psychology , Adaptation, Psychological , Adult , Aged , Emotions , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Qualitative Research , Stress, Psychological , Young AdultABSTRACT
This is a qualitative evidence synthesis on the experiences of parents caring for their adult child with schizophrenia. The Joanna Briggs Methodology for systematic reviews guided the study and standard systematic review procedures were followed. Content analysis was used to synthesize findings from the five studies included into the following categories: 'Resources,' 'Loss,' 'Psychological Distress,' 'Effects on Family,' and 'Framing the Experience.' Findings suggest that parent caregivers struggle to navigate services and need greater support to protect their mental and physical health. From a research perspective, factors influencing parents' abilities to stay engaged in caregiving warrant further exploration.
Subject(s)
Adult Children , Caregivers/psychology , Parents/psychology , Schizophrenia , Adult , Humans , Qualitative Research , Social Support , Stress, Psychological/psychologySubject(s)
Nurses/psychology , Peer Review, Research , Periodicals as Topic , Writing , Canada , Humans , Peer Review, Research/methodsABSTRACT
The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre was the first North American site to implement the Tidal Model of Mental Health Recovery and Reclamation. This empowering approach to practice focuses on learning persons' stories as the key to practising person-centred nursing. The authors, who constituted the Tidal implementation team at ROMHC, describe the journey to excellence in psychiatric and mental health nursing practice following the introduction of the model.
