Nurses Teaching Prison Officers: A Workshop to Reduce the Stigmatization of Prison Inmates With Mental Illness.

PURPOSE: This report describes and evaluates the effectiveness of a nurse-led workshop designed to improve correctional officers' stigmatizing attitude toward inmates with mental illness. DESIGN AND METHODS: Eighty-three prison officers attended a 6-day workshop targeting the cognitive, psychoeducational, and behavioral components of publicly expressed stigma, and combining theoretical learning, observational experience on psychiatric wards, frontal lectures, case reviews, discussions, peer supervision, and simulations. The workshop's impact was measured systematically using a structured self-administered questionnaire examining cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of stigmatization. FINDINGS: The workshop significantly increased perceived knowledge and decreased stigmatizing attitudes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The evaluation presented here demonstrates a less-known aspect of the possible contribution of expert psychiatric nurses to mental health education in a wider context.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Ethical and Professional Dilemmas in a Psychiatric Hospital Under Missile Attacks.

BACKGROUND: Israeli hospitals must continuously develop various mechanisms to protect both patients and staff against the physical threat of missile attacks during war situations. OBJECTIVES: To examine the difficulties and dilemmas with which the staff of a psychiatric hospital had to deal during missile attacks. DESIGN: A quality improvement project consisting of three stages (1) establishment of a steering committee; (2) execution of a staff nurses' focus group; and (3) categorization of issues raised and suggestions for care improvement in future emergencies. RESULTS: The project stressed the challenges of dealing with restrained patients during missile alarms, waking up patients or dealing with those who refuse to enter the protected area, mismatching of the security needs in protected areas, and institutionalized emotional support for staff members. CONCLUSION: Suitable policies for clinical and management behavior and for information transfer between management and wards are essential during a continuous emergency.