627 – Mental Health Workers Play Different Roles in Mental Health Service

Abstract

Mental health workers play different roles in the District Mental Health Service, and they differs in professional education skills. Taking care of psychotic patients also include to administrate and observed the medication in practice, but there are different experiences in this area.

Objectives:

To gain knowledge about the practice in the District Mental Health Service according to medication trends.

Aims:

To gain knowledge and information about the daily practice.

Methods:

This pilot study was done in 2011. Focusgroup interviews where the informants was leaders and professional workers in two different municipalities in Nortern Norway in 2011. Literature rewievs was also done. Next step is quantitative methods based on the results in the pilot study.

Results:

The results show that the District Mental Health Service practice differed in organization of the service. The one who has the responsibility of medication for the patients in daily settings differed. The most educated persons in the mental health team took care of the treatment only in communication with the psychotic persons, while the lowest educated personal in the home care settings administrated to give patients medicine. Some of the workers in the home care settings had only a 10 hours medical course. They were afraid of the patients who could be aggressive and denied to take medication.

Conclusions:

The organization of the medication responsibility need to be focused more upon because of the need of good observation of the effects on the patients.