Measuring observed mental state in acute psychiatric inpatients

Do we all speak the same language? A critical systemic functional discourse analysis of psychiatric hospital brochures

BACKGROUND

Over the last decades, treatment of patients with mental health diseases has shifted from longer-term in-hospital diagnosis and treatment to brief crisis diagnostic and/or treatment stays in hospital wards combined with ambulatory care preventing relapse and promoting patient-centered recovery. To guarantee a shared understanding of the nature of the care provided, it is important that hospital brochures and ambulatory care information are aligned, both in the way in which they define and understand recovery and regarding how they approach the empowerment and activation of the patient.

AIM AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The overall aim of the study was to shed light on whether (1) hospital brochures used in crisis intervention centres in Flanders reflect the tenets of recovery-oriented and empowering care, and (2) the encoded messages are reflective of patients and their needs.

METHODS

A systemic functional critical discourse analytic framework was used to analyze a small corpus of hospital brochures.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest that the answers to both research questions are negative.

CONCLUSION

This small-scale qualitative study on the under-researched population of psychiatric patients admitted to crisis intervention wards highlights the complexities involved in imparting well-aligned psychiatric care messages to the patients, their home caregivers, the medical community and the general public.

Empathic processes during nurse-consumer conflict situations in psychiatric inpatient units: A qualitative study

Empathy is a central component of nurse-consumer relationships. In the present study, we investigated how empathy is developed and maintained when there is conflict between nurses and consumers, and the ways in which empathy can be used to achieve positive outcomes. Through semistructured interviews, mental health nurses (n = 13) and consumers in recovery (n = 7) reflected on a specific conflict situation where they had experienced empathy, as well as how empathy contributed more generally to working with nurses/consumers. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, utilizing a framework that conceptualizes empathy experiences as involving antecedents, processes, and outcomes. The central theme identified was 'my role as a nurse - the role of my nurse'. Within this theme, nurses focussed on how their role in managing risk and safety determined empathy experienced towards consumers; consumers saw the importance of nurse empathy both in conflict situations and for their general hospitalization experience. Empathy involved nurses trying to understand the consumer's perspective and feeling for the consumer, and was perceived by consumers to involve nurses 'being there'. Empathic relationships built on trust and rapport could withstand a conflict situation, with empathy a core component in consumer satisfaction regarding conflict resolution and care. Empathy allows the maintenance of therapeutic relationships during conflict, and influences the satisfaction of nurses and consumers, even in problematic situations. Nurse education and mentoring should focus on nurse self-reflection and building empathy skills in managing conflict.

Five-year review of absconding in three acute psychiatric inpatient wards in Australia

Absconding, where patients under an involuntary mental health order leave hospital without permission, can result in patient harm and emotional and professional implications for nursing staff. However, Australian data to drive nursing interventions remain sparse. The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate absconding in three acute care wards from January 2006 to June 2010, in order to determine absconding rates, compare patients who did and did not abscond, and to examine incidents. The absconding rate was 17.22 incidents per 100 involuntary admissions (12.09% of patients), with no significant change over time. Being male, young, diagnosed with a schizophrenia or substance-use disorder, and having a longer hospital stay were predictive of absconding. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients had higher odds of absconding than Caucasian Australians. Over 25% of absconding patients did so multiple times. Patients absconded early in admission. More incidents occurred earlier in the year, during summer and autumn, and later in the week, and few incidents occurred early in the morning. Almost 60% of incidents lasted ≤24 hours. Formulation of prospective interventions considering population demographic factors and person-specific concerns are required for evidence-based nursing management of the risks of absconding and effective incident handling when they do occur.

Association between short-term structured risk assessment outcomes and seclusion

Research findings indicate that the symptoms and behaviour of acute psychiatric patients can fluctuate drastically within hours, and that structured daily risk assessments can reduce the risk of aggressive incidents and the duration of seclusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of two structured observation tools, the Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC) and the Kennedy Axis V), as an aid in seclusion-related clinical decision-making. In this study, 7403 day-to-day risk assessments were collected over 10 725 admission days (72% of the maximum number of structured assessments). A total of 7055 daily assessment scores from 301 acute psychiatric patients were used for the multilevel analysis. The sample demonstrated that dynamic and static factors were related to seclusion. Dynamic factors included dysfunctional scores on the item 'confusion' of the Brøset Violence Checklist, and psychological impairment and impairment of social skills on the Kennedy Axis V. Static factors included non-Western descent, male sex, age less than 35 years, unmarried, and to some extent, a personality disorder. McFadden's pseudo R(2) value showed that most of the final model was related to the dynamic factors. We concluded that the incorporation of the BVC and the Kennedy Axis V into standard practice was helpful in identifying patients at high risk of seclusion.

Shift climate profiles and correlates in acute psychiatric inpatient units

PURPOSE

Inpatient psychiatric units are dynamic in nature, potentially creating a different treatment experience for each person, which may be difficult to quantify. Among the goals of this multi-centre service evaluation project was an assessment of shift-to-shift changes in unit-level events and their impact on the social-emotional environment.

METHODS

Over 1 year, various nurse-completed logs were used within the 11 participating Australian psychiatric units (n = 5,546 admissions) to record patient- and unit-level events per shift, including ratings of the overall social-emotional climate using a novel shift climate ratings (SCR) scale (n = 8,176 shifts). These were combined with admission-level patient characteristics to investigate shift climate profiles and correlates.

RESULTS

Occupancy rates averaged 88% and two-thirds of admissions were involuntary. The psychometric performance of the SCR scale was considered to be satisfactory (e.g., high internal consistency, unidimensional factor structure, and evidence of discriminant and predictive validity). A series of hierarchical regressions revealed considerable variation in SCR total scores, with poorer climates being significantly associated with: day/afternoon shifts; higher occupancy levels; higher proportions of experienced staff, and male, older, or involuntary patients; higher rates of less serious aggressive incidents; reporting of additional staffing demands; and unit location in a stand-alone psychiatric hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

The day-to-day social-emotional climate can have important consequences for patient engagement and recovery. Improved understanding of the role played by unit, staff and patient characteristics, together with routine monitoring, should facilitate the development and evaluation of targeted interventions to reduce adverse incidents and improve the overall social-emotional climate.

Why are some patients admitted to psychiatric hospital while others are not? A study assessing risk during the admission interview and relationship to outcome

The aim of this study was to determine what patient characteristics are used to decide whether a patient is or is not admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and what happens to those not admitted. A further aim was to determine if high levels of risk on admission predict seclusions, length of stay, or readmission within 28 days. Data were collected prospectively on consecutive presentations to an admission office via case notes and electronic databases. Eighty percent (100/127) of the adults presenting to the admission office over a typical month were admitted to hospital. Patients were more likely to be admitted if they were experiencing psychosis or exacerbation of schizophrenia, referred by other doctors or mental health teams, had a legal reason for referral, or if they were homeless. There was no association between risk for violence or suicide and seclusion rates, length of stay, or being readmitted within 28 days. It was reassuring to find that 85% of those not admitted were referred to other mental health providers, and none required admission over the following month. This study found high rates of seclusion and readmissions within 1 year, which requires further study to find strategies to reduce these rates.