Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Psychiatric care'

The psychiatric acute departments are intensive units serving patients with a broad spectrum of psychiatric conditions. Patients with the most florid psychiatric symptoms are admitted to Psychiatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs). These units are supposed to provide the necessary diagnostic and acute therapeutic help, control inappropriate behaviours, and provide the services in an environment which assists the patients’ recovery and is acceptable to patients, health workers and the general society. PICUs are criticised for poor environments, high levels of coercion and lack of evidence base from controlled trials or post occupancy evaluations. Long term studies of the rate of seclusion indicate no decrease in spite of changing political attitudes and hospital environments. There is a need fo new methods to treat violent or threatening incidents in psychiatric wards. Norwegian PICUs use segregation nursing with the patients placed in separately locked areas with staff. This model may be an alternative to seclusion. Controlled trials regarding effects of principles and facilities for such treatment are lacking. The general aim of the present study was to investigate effects of facilities for segregation, and several assumed risk factors in a Norwegian PICU.

The current thesis is based on data from 118 consecutively admitted patients to the PICU at St. Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. The thesis has the following conclusions:

Main conclusions

1: Interior and furnishing like an ordinary home in the PICU create an environment with comparable treatment outcomes to the traditional dismal interior and has positive effects on many patients’ well being. Patient selfrating were significantly in favour of the ordinary home interior compared to the traditional interior

2: The principles of patient segregation in PICUs have favourable effects on behaviours associated with and the actual numbers of violent and threatening incidents. The changes in assessments of behaviour measured by differences in BVC ratings from baseline (admittance) to day 3 were significantly in favour of segregating the patients in the PICU compared to not segregating the patients in the same area. There were significantly lower reported incidents of violent or threatening incidents when using the PICU as a segregation area compared to not using the PICU as a segregation area.

3: In PICUs substance use is associated with favourable outcomes compared to patients not using substances. There was a significant difference in the changes of GAF-S –symptom ratings from admittance (baseline) to day three between the patient groups with or without a substance use diagnosis. The largest increase was in the patient group with a substance use diagnosis indicating more reduction of symptoms.

4: Threatening and violent incidents are not common acute manifestations of recent substance use in PICU populations. There was no significant difference in the number of threatening or violent incidents between the patient groups with or without a substance use diagnosis.

5: Substance use predicts shorter length of inpatient stay in PICU populations. The mean length of stay in the PICU was significantly shorter in the patient group with a substance use diagnosis compared to the patient group without a substance use diagnosis.

6: In PICUs prediction of short-term aggressive and threatening incidents should be based on clinical global judgement, and instruments designed to predict short-term aggression in psychiatric inpatients. In the hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis the global clinical evaluation from the physician on duty, the nurse clinicians’ global evaluation of “intensity of testing out and pushing limits”, and the observer rated scale scoring behaviours predicting imminent violence in psychiatric inpatients (BVC), were the factors positively associated with short-term threatening and violent incidents.

7: The predictive properties for BVC in the PICU-setting are satisfactory for the first three days after a single rating at admittance.

Additional conclusions:

1: Patients who have experienced segregation settings like seclusion have desires for alternative treatment conditions. These desires are to a large extent met by Norwegian PICUs. These PICUs are effective.

2: In the architecture and design of PICUs it is important to take into consideration the possibilities for segregation of patients.

One of the most important challenges of health and medical care is to strength the role of the patient in the treatment. In psychiatric care the patient must be seen as a resource and should be given the opportunity to participate in his treatment. The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate and describe how patients in psychiatric care perceive participation, and how existing assessments support participation.

Study I describes how patients in psychiatric institutional care perceived their opportunities to be active and to participate in their own treatment. The ICF (International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health) inspired the study. By means of a questionnaire, 61 patients reported their opinions of the value of received care, highlighting concepts such as activity and participation. Ten of those patients were then selected for a semi-structured interview. The study showed that patients who were treated according to compulsory care (LPT) were generally more dissatisfied with their opportunities to be active and participate in their own care than patients treated according to the law of health and medical care (HSL). Younger patients in particular were more dissatisfied. Some important factors in the environment were continuity and reception from the staff. Facilitating factors for activity and participation were agreement between patient and staff about the treatment plan, discussions about expectations, and creating conditions for engagement in activities and or responsibility.

Study II investigates if there is harmony between the CPRS-S-A (Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale-Self-Assessment), the OCAIRS–S (Occupational Circumstances Interview and Rating Scale) and the OSA (Occupational Self Assessment), and if they can replace each other when the occupational therapist collects information about the patient. Another aim was to investigate how occupational therapist uses the collected information in the treatment plan process. Fourteen patients with depression disorders took part in the study. The study showed that even if the symptoms of the disease were improved at the end of the treatment period the patients still had problems with occupational performance, reduced self-confidence and the structure of their day. Consequently the assessments cannot replace each other. The study emphasized the importance of using both interview and self-assessments when collecting information about the patient, since these methods complement each other in identifying the needs and goals of the treatment. Many problems were related to the patient’s social environment but this was not reflected in the treatment plan; few goals were identified in this area.

In conclusion, occupational therapists should use self-assessments and interviews in order to support the patient’s participation in psychiatric care. Furthermore, it is important to use assessments for both occupational performance and medical symptoms when identifying the patient’s needs and goals of treatment since there is a discrepancy between the two areas; symptoms are reduced earlier than perceived problems in occupational performance. Regardless of what kind of law the patient is treated under, all patients have the right to participate in their own treatment. This thesis also shows that the social environment is important in enabling the participation of patients in their psychiatric care.

En av de viktigaste utmaningarna inom hälso- och sjukvården är att stärka patientens ställning i behandlingen. Inom psykiatrisk vård så måste patienten ses som en resurs och ges möjlighet att vara delaktig i sin behandling. Det övergripande syftet med denna avhandling var att undersöka och beskriva hur patienter inom psykiatrisk vård uppfattar delaktighet och hur existerande instrument stödjer delaktighet.

Studie I beskriver hur patienter inom psykiatrisk slutenvård uppfattar sina möjligheter till aktivitet och delaktighet under vårdtiden. ICF (Klassifikation av funktionstillstånd, funktionshinder och hälsa ) inspirerade studien. Genom en enkät svarade 61 patienter på värdet av den vård som de erhöll, där begrepp som aktivitet och delaktighet belystes. Tio patienter valdes sedan ut för en semistrukturerad intervju. Studien visar på att patienter som vårdats utifrån Lagen om Psykiatrisk Tvångsvård (LPT) var generellt mer missnöjda än de patienter som vårdats utifrån Hälso- och Sjukvårdslagen (HSL). Även yngre patienter var mer missnöjda. Några viktiga faktorer i miljön som påverkar möjlighet till delaktighet var kontinuitet och bemötande från personalen. Underlättande faktorer för aktivitet och delaktighet var att det fanns en samstämmighet mellan patient och personal i vårdplaneringen, att förväntningar diskuterades, att förutsättningar till engagemang i aktiviteter gavs och att patienten fick möjlighet att ta eget ansvar.

Studie II undersöker om det finns harmoni mellan CPRS-S-A (Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale-Self-Asessment), OCAIRS-S (Occupational Circumstances Interview and Rating Scale) och OSA (Occupational Self Assessment) och om de kan ersätta varandra när arbetsterapeuten samlar information kring patienten. Ett annat syfte var att undersöka hur arbetsterapeuten använder den insamlade informationen i behandlingsplanen. Fjorton patienter med depressionssjukdom deltog i studien. Studien visar att även om de medicinska symptomen förbättras i slutet av behandlingen så har patienten fortfarande problem i aktivitetsutförande, nedsatt självkänsla och struktur på dagarna. Bedömningsinstrumenten kan inte ersätta varandra. Studien betonar vikten av att använda både intervju och självskattning vid datainsamling kring patienten, då de kompletterar varandra vid identifiering av behov och mål i behandlingen. Många problem var relaterade till patientens sociala miljö, dock saknades detta i behandlingsplanerna; få mål och åtgärder identifierades inom detta område.

Sammanfattningsvis, arbetsterapeuten bör använda självskattningar och intervjuer i syfte att stödja delaktighet inom psykiatrisk vård. Dessutom är det betydelsefullt att använda bedömningsinstrument både för aktivitetsutförande och medicinska symptom för att identifiera patientens behov och mål i behandlingen då det är en diskrepans mellan dessa två områden; medicinska symptomen reduceras tidigare än upplevda problem i aktivitetsutförandet. Oavsett vilken lag som styr vårdformen så har alla patienter rätt till delaktighet i sin egen behandling. Denna avhandling visar också på att den sociala miljön är viktigt för delaktighet för patienter inom psykiatrisk vård.

Abstract The aim of this quality improvement (QI) project was to explore whether the implementation of an enhanced telephone reminder system improved the rate of attendance at initial follow-up appointment and medication adherence. A total of 86 patients, discharged from inpatient psychiatric units with a follow-up within 7 days of discharge, were eligible to receive the enhanced telephone contact reminder and follow-up text. A preliminary retrospective chart review was conducted to collect historical data on medication and attendance adherence. A prospective interventional design was used to implement the QI project. Patients received telephone contact within 24-72 hours of discharge and text message reminder strategies. A medication adherence assessment was completed at telephone contact and at initial follow-up appointment. An analysis of the data examined the impact of the TCM strategy on patient?s rate of adherence to medication and initial follow-up appointments. Descriptive analysis assessed the frequency of medication adherence in retrospective and implementation data. Inferential statistics analyzed factors of association such as prior clinic services and rate of attendance at follow-up appointment. In the retrospective chart review (n=57), data revealed a 28% attendance rate and an 81% medication adherence at the follow-up appointment, with no statistical difference in a 145 history of prior series on attendance. Implementation data on medication adherence at telephone contact and at first follow-up appointment revealed a 61.5% medication adherence rate at telephone contact and 80% adherence rate at first follow-up appointment. The predictor value of a prior history of service on attendance at first follow-up appointment revealed no statistically significant difference. The project, however, resulted in clinically significant benefits that promoted individual patients? medication-taking behaviors and decisions to attend follow-up appointments, and improved clinical practices at the BHC.

The demand for psychiatry is driven by the amount of patients that require mental health services. In the United States, there is a growing need for mental health services. One in every 5 adults in America suffers from some type of mental illness; 1 in every 20 has a serious mental illness. In 2014, 60% of adults living with a mental illness did not receive treatment for it. The amendment of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has expanded access to mental health services. However, although the accessibility to psychiatric services has increased, a shortage of psychiatrists has resulted in long wait times, creating challenges to meet the demand. Pacific Psychiatric Group is a direct pay, outpatient practice that offers mental health services at competitive, fixed cash rates. Insurance will not be accepted. The burden of overhead dealing with the bureaucracy and administration of insurance will be eliminated, which helps to keep costs low and allows providers to focus on the patient. Pacific Psychiatric Group’s mission is to alleviate accessibility challenges and provide timely, high quality, personalized, patient-focused mental health services. This proposed business plan will demonstrate how Pacific Psychiatric Group plans to improve accessibility, transparency, and quality of psychiatric services in an effort to reduce the number of untreated individuals.

Due to the deinstitutionalization movement, many mentally ill individuals have left asylum treatment centers and have had no safe housing. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the attitudes and opinions of homeless, mentally ill people regarding the community resources they consume and how they perceive and navigate those resources. The research questions focused on homeless, mentally ill individuals' shared experiences accessing health care, psychiatric care, and housing services as well as, barriers that impacted homeless, mentally ill individuals' use of these services, and their needs to address these barriers. Data were collected using face to face, semi structured interviews with 12 homeless individuals. The thematic analysis consisted of open and axial coding. Axial coding was used to assign and like categories and subcategories of codes according to their properties and dimensions. Emergent patterns were identified from the data to explain the lived experiences of mentally ill homeless people and their opinion and attitudes towards navigating of mentally ill homeless programs. The responses expressed the needs that were unmet: lack of mental health assistance, food needs, hygiene needs, safety concerns and survival needs. In order to make positive social change outreach predicated on increasing clear communication between outreach workers and the homeless mentally ill allows for developing a trusting relationship necessary in establishing contact and credibility in providing on going impactful treatment for the homeless mentally ill population.