An Interpretation of Nurse–Patient Relationships in Inpatient Psychiatry

Abstract

Nurses who work in acute inpatient psychiatry, where lengths of stay are increasingly shortened, struggle to establish therapeutic nurse–patient relationships. The purpose of this inquiry was to illuminate the nature of relationships between inpatient psychiatric mental health (PMH) nurses and their patients. The author used semistructured interviews and nonparticipant observation in an interpretive phenomenological inquiry. The data consisted of texts that were transcribed from narratives and observations. The meanings that were generated led to the uncovering of patterns of commonality, or themes. Of the themes uncovered, the theme of mindful approach highlighted PMH nurses as engaging with patients in distress, strategically creating encounters to establish a basis for ongoing therapeutic work. The PMH nurse–patient relationship in acute inpatient psychiatry continues to be under pressure, but nurses still carefully construct relational approaches in response to patient distress, and patients in these settings experience these approaches as meaningful to their recovery.

Violence against children and adolescents by nursing staff: prevalence rates and implications for practice

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Barriers to recovery‐focused care within therapeutic relationships in nursing: Attitudes and perceptions

“…Philosophically, nowhere is the person‐centred approach of recovery‐focused care more at odds with paternalistic and medical model traditions in mental health care than in the act of medicating acutely ill consumers against their will. Chemical restraint is considered less restrictive than seclusion or physical restraint but administration of medication against a consumer's will as well as coercive actions to move consumers to adhere to medication regimens can damage trust, reduce consumer self‐efficacy and sense of personal empowerment, all of which are antithetical to personal recovery and the trust required for collaborative relationship (Newman et al, ; Sheehan & Burns, ; Thibeault, ). Recognizing this, Lim et al () conducted a literature review to identify best recovery‐focused practices in nursing to reduce aggression in the acute care setting.…”

Engagement in help-seeking of dual diagnosed mothers at a low-threshold service: grasping life through co-created opportunities

“…At this site, staff have consciously worked to overcome such a stigma and instead have searched for a stance where listening to the client is central to their way of working. Professionals negotiate their different positions in regard to clients whilst striving at engagement in therapeutic work (Thibeault, 2016). An example is that staff need to overcome such situations as dislike for substances, or anticipation for clients who are unwilling to participate or are ambivalent (Peplau, 1991;Spiers and Wood, 2010).…”