Psychiatric nurses’ views on criteria for psychiatric intensive care: acute and intensive care staff compared

Bowers, Len, Crowhurst, Neil, Alexander, Jane, Eales, Sarah, Guy, Stuart and McCann, Eddie (2003) Psychiatric nurses’ views on criteria for psychiatric intensive care: acute and intensive care staff compared. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 40 (2). pp. 145-152. doi:10.1016/S0020-7489(02)00043-3

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

AIM: To explore and investigate differences between the views of qualified nurses working in psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs) and acute care wards on which patients are appropriate for PICU care. BACKGROUND: Previous research on the area of psychiatric intensive care highlights the great differences that exist in all aspects of service provision, from unit size and staffing levels to treatment approaches and physical environment. One of the most common areas of controversy is the type of client behaviour that warrants admission to the PICU. METHOD: Structured interviews of 100 qualified nursing staff (in the London area, England) working on either acute or PICU wards were used to gather data on appropriate and inappropriate referral to PICUs. Comments made during the course of the interviews were also collected and subjected to content analysis. FINDINGS: There was evidence to support the hypothesis that acute ward staff considered patients suitable for PICU care at a lower level of risk than PICU staff thought appropriate. In comparison to acute ward nurses, those working in PICUs attended to a broader range of factors when considering suitability for admission to PICU. Appropriate reasons for transfer fell into five groups: risk to others; risk of intentional harm to self; risk of unintentional harm to self; therapeutic benefit from the PICU environment; and legitimate acute ward care problem. Inappropriate reasons for transfer fell into four groups: low risk to others and/or self; illegitimate acute admission care problems; patient belongs elsewhere; policy issues. CONCLUSION: The study opens up a range of issues not previously studied in relation to the use of PICUs and the intricate relationship of this use with the available acute care wards and other services. These findings and their implications for the care of acute and disturbed psychiatric patients are discussed.

Item Type:	Article
Article Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Psychiatric nursing; Intensive care units
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry > RC346 Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system > RC435 Psychiatry R Medicine > RT Nursing
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Health and Social Care
Research Priority Areas:	Society and Learning
Depositing User:	Susan Turner
Date Deposited:	03 Sep 2018 13:19
Last Modified:	27 Jul 2023 16:23
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/5927

University Staff: Request a correction | Repository Editors: Update this record