Burnout in Mental Health Care Professionals Working with Inpatients in Open or Closed Wards in Psychiatric Hospitals

Mental health care professionals are at risk of experiencing burnout. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate burnout in two settings: open and closed psychiatric wards, and two professions: registered nurses and social healthcare assistants in eight psychiatric wards in Denmark. A total of 114 professionals completed the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and a demographic questionnaire. No statistically differences in burnout in professionals working in closed and open wards were found. However, we found professionals to score highest on personal and work-related burnout and lowest on client-related burnout. This indicates that patients may only play a minor role in burnout in health professionals.

The patient's agenda: nurses' experience of learning and using guided self-determination

OBJECTIVES

Health care has seen a shift towards person-centred care to encompass the entirety of a person's needs and preferences, but research is sparse on healthcare professionals learning and using person-centred care.

AIM

To investigate nurses' experiences of learning and using the person-centred method guided self-determination (GSD) in three different gynaecological settings and to determine whether, and potentially, how new tasks introduced by the GSD method influence their professional identity.

DESIGN

A qualitative interview study conducted between January 2019 and January 2020.

METHOD

We conducted 16 semi-structured interviews with nurses educated in using GSD. Applying inductive and deductive reasoning, we analysed the interviews using thematic analysis. The study was registered with the Danish Data Protection Agency (file no.: VD-2018-445, I-Suite no.: 6700).

RESULTS

The analysis generated three main themes with two subthemes each: (a) prerequisites and barriers to learning and using GSD in terms of personal factors and organisational and method-related factors; (b) new knowledge and understanding of illness with the subthemes expanded understanding of illness and a different relationship; and (c) nursing undergoing change with the subthemes, a new role and a professional self shaped through interaction with other professions.

CONCLUSIONS

Although other professionals may have either supported or challenged the use of GSD, most nurses indicated that it supplemented their professional role and identity as they gained new knowledge about person-centred challenges and felt more confident. When introducing GSD in nursing, the organisation must not only consider individual characteristics, multidisciplinary collaboration and communication but also plan individual education and supervision. This is necessary because all these factors affect how a new professional role is constructed and adopted, not to mention how it influences the nurses' perception of their professional identity and use of GSD. Establishing a helpful person-centred environment must also be considered.

The deadlock of saying "That is what we already do!" A thematic analysis of mental healthcare professionals' reactions to using an evidence-based intervention

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT?: There is a need to shed light on healthcare professionals' reactions to the use of the Guided Self-Determination method in a mental health hospital to better understand and adjust the implementation process of evidence-based practice. Healthcare professionals´ values and beliefs play an important role when implementing evidence-based practice in real-world healthcare settings. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The study identifies opposite positions in mental healthcare professionals: being ready or resistant to change when implementing an evidence-based intervention. The positions are elaborated in four thematic dynamic continuums describing reactions to using the intervention. In addition, this is the first study to explore mental healthcare professionals´ reactions to using the Guided Self-Determination method in a mental health context. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: When preparing implementation of an evidence-based intervention, it is important to consider adaptation of the intervention, the mental healthcare professionals' acceptability, support from management and participation in supervision. In future research, it is important to consider collecting data from mental healthcare professionals trained in using an evidence-based intervention, however not using it in clinical practice, to understand barriers towards evidence-based practice. ABSTRACT: Introduction Evidence-based interventions are required in mental health nursing to improve quality and outcome for patients. However, there is a need to shed light on professionals' reactions to the use of evidence-based interventions to better understand and adjust the implementation process. Aim To explore mental healthcare professionals´ reactions to using the evidence-based intervention Guided Self-Determination method in the care of inpatients with severe mental illness. Method A qualitative study conducted in relation to an 8 months implementation program. Data collection: 9 qualitative interviews and field notes generated from supervision of the intervention. Results Four themes emerged from a thematic analysis: "The expert becomes novice," "Theory used as a looking glass," "Guided Self-Determination perceived as an interruption" and "Becoming an informer of the impact of GSD." Discussion Using the themes may help leaders or researchers predict or discover the support needed by individual professionals. Implications for practice When preparing implementation of an evidence-based intervention, it is important to consider adaptation and acceptability, as well as support from management and participation in supervision. Finally, it is worth to consider collecting data from trained professionals, who did not use the intervention in practice to understand barriers towards evidence-based practise.

Learning to practise the Guided Self-Determination approach in type 2 diabetes in primary care: A qualitative pilot study

Aim

To describe how diabetes nurses in primary care experience the process of learning to practise the person‐centred counselling approach Guided Self‐Determination among adults with type 2 diabetes.

Design

A descriptive qualitative design.

Method

Data were collected in 2014–2015 by means of individual interviews with four diabetes nurses at two points in time. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Three themes that reflect nurses’ processes in learning to use the Guided Self‐Determination approach were identified: (1) from an unfamiliar interaction to “cracking the code”; (2) from an unspecific approach to a structured, reflective, but demanding approach; and (3) from a nurse‐centred to a patient‐centred approach. The overall findings indicate that the process of learning to practise Guided Self‐Determination increased the nurses’ counselling competence. Moreover, the nurses perceived the approach to be generally helpful, as it stimulated reflections about diabetes management and about their own counselling practices.

Translating person-centered care into practice: A comparative analysis of motivational interviewing, illness-integration support, and guided self-determination

OBJECTIVE

Person-centred care [PCC] can engage people in living well with a chronic condition. However, translating PCC into practice is challenging. We aimed to compare the translational potentials of three approaches: motivational interviewing [MI], illness integration support [IIS] and guided self-determination [GSD].

METHODS

Comparative analysis included eight components: (1) philosophical origin; (2) development in original clinical setting; (3) theoretical underpinnings; (4) overarching goal and supportive processes; (5) general principles, strategies or tools for engaging peoples; (6) health care professionals' background and training; (7) fidelity assessment; (8) reported effects.

RESULTS

Although all approaches promoted autonomous motivation, they differed in other ways. Their original settings explain why IIS and GSD strive for life-illness integration, whereas MI focuses on managing ambivalence. IIS and GSD were based on grounded theories, and MI was intuitively developed. All apply processes and strategies to advance professionals' communication skills and engagement; GSD includes context-specific reflection sheets. All offer training programs; MI and GSD include fidelity tools.

CONCLUSION

Each approach has a primary application: MI, when ambivalence threatens positive change; IIS, when integrating newly diagnosed chronic conditions; and GSD, when problem solving is difficult, or deadlocked.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Professionals must critically consider the context in their choice of approach.

Characteristics of nursing studies in diabetes research published over three decades in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland: a narrative review of the literature

Similarities and differences across borders of Nordic countries constitute a suitable context for investigating and discussing factors related to the development of diabetes nursing research over the last three decades. The present study reviewed the entire body of contemporary diabetes nursing research literature originating in four Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland. Our aims were (i) to catalogue and characterise trends in research designs and research areas of these studies published over time and (ii) to describe how research involving nurses in Nordic countries has contributed to diabetes research overall. The larger goal of our analyses was to produce a comprehensive picture of this research in order to guide future studies in the field. We conducted a narrative literature review by systematically searching Medline, Medline in process, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases. These searches were limited to studies published between 1979 and 2009 that had an abstract available in English or a Nordic language. Two researchers independently selected studies for analysis, leading to the inclusion of 164 relevant publications for analysis. In summary, Nordic nurse researchers have contributed to the development of new knowledge in self-management of diabetes in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and to some extent also in the treatment and care of diabetes foot ulcers. Future research may benefit from (i) larger nurse-led research programmes organised in networks in order to share knowledge and expertise across national groups and borders, (ii) more multidisciplinary collaborations in order to promote patient-centred care and (iii) further research directed towards improving the dissemination and implementation of research findings. Using complex intervention designs and a mix of research methods will enrich the research.