Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T08:38:41.289Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A comparison of psychiatric nursing staff experience of, and attitudes towards, the psychiatric intensive care services in a Scottish health region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2012

Gary S Stevenson
Gary S Stevenson*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry (Older Adults) NHS Fife, Stratheden Hospital, Cupar, Scotland
*
Correspondence to: Dr Gary S Stevenson, Medical Offices, Stratheden Hospital, Cupar, Fife KY15 5RR, Scotland. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Background

There is limited research on the attitudes of nursing staff towards psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs) for general adult populations, and none examining attitudes in older adult PICU populations. The aim of this study was to examine these attitudes in one Scottish health board region.

Methods

A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to nursing staff working in general and older adult psychiatric admission and PICU wards.

Results

Of 138 responders, PICUs were considered necessary by 96.4%, with 93.5% agreeing on the need for a separate older adult PICU. PICU staff had more influence on discharges from the PICUs compared to non-PICU staff. The main reasons for admission to PICU services were physical violence and absconding, and for refusing admission were acute ward containment and medication issues, with few differences between the general adult and older adult PICUs.

Conclusions

There were more similarities than differences in nursing attitudes between the general adult and older adult PICUs but many staff feel inadequately trained and supported. The combination of service-user reports, the demographic shift to an aging population and the increase in mental health detentions in the older adult population suggest a need to consider age-appropriate psychiatric intensive care services.

Keywords

Psychiatric intensive care unitsnursing attitudesmental healtholderdetention
Type
Original Research Article
Information
Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , April 2013 , pp. 19 - 26
Copyright
Copyright © NAPICU 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, D. (2011) Age discrimination in mental health services needs to be understood. The Psychiatrist. 35: 1–4.Google Scholar
Ballard, C., Corbett, A. (2010) Management of neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia. CNS Drugs. 24(9): 729–739.Google ScholarPubMed
Beer, M.D., Pereira, S.M., Paton, C. (2001) Psychiatric intensive care – development and definition. In: Beer, M.D., Pereira, S.M., Paton, C. (eds), Psychiatric Intensive Care. London: Greenwich Medical Media. pp. 1–12.Google Scholar
Bowers, L., Crowhurst, N., Alexander, J., Eales, S., Guy, S., McCann, E. (2003) Psychiatric nurses’ views on criteria for psychiatric intensive care: acute and intensive care staff compared. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 40: 145–152.Google Scholar
Bowers, L., Jeffrey, D., Bilgin, H., Jarrett, M., Simpson, A., Jones, J. (2008) Psychiatric intensive care units: a literature review. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 54(1): 56–68.Google Scholar
Brown, K., Wellman, N. (1998) Psychiatric intensive care: a developing speciality. Nursing Standard. 12(29): 45–47.Google Scholar
Brown, S., Bass, N. (2004) The psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU): patient characteristics, treatment and outcome. Journal of Mental Health. 13(6): 601–609.Google Scholar
Brown, S., Langrish, M. (2006) What do acute psychiatric in-patient staff think about the psychiatric intensive care unit? Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care. 2: 129–132.Google Scholar
Department of Health (2002) Mental Health Policy Implementation Guide: National minimum standards for general adult services in psychiatric intensive care units (PICU) and low secure environments. London: Department of Health.Google Scholar
Great Britain (2006) Equality Act 2006 c3.Google Scholar
Kallert, T.W., Glockner, M., Schutzwohl, M. (2008) Involuntary vs. voluntary hospital admission: a systematic literature review on outcome diversity. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 258: 195–209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kasmi, Y. (2007) Characteristics of patients admitted to psychiatric intensive care units. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine. 24(2): 75–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katsakou, C., Priebe, S. (2006) Outcomes of involuntary hospital admission – a review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandanivica. 114: 232–241.Google Scholar
Lee, S., Wright, S., Sayer, J., Parr, A., Gray, R., Gournay, K. (2001) Physical restraint training for nurses in English and Welsh psychiatric intensive care and regional secure units. Journal of Mental Health. 10(2): 151–162.Google Scholar
Lee, S., Gray, R., Gournay, K., Parr, A., Sayer, J. (2003) Views of nursing staff on the use of physical restraint. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. 10(4): 425–430.Google Scholar
Loubser, I., Chaplin, R., Quirk, A. (2009) Violence, alcohol and drugs: the views of nurses and patients on psychiatric intensive care units, acute adult wards and forensic wards. Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care. 5: 33–39.Google Scholar
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (2008) Annual Report 2007–8. Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.Google Scholar
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (2009) Survey of Intensive Psychiatric Care Units (IPCUs): NHS Fife Service Profile Report. Edinburgh: NHS QIS. http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/previous_resources/benchmarking_report/ipcu_survey.aspxGoogle Scholar
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (2010) Intensive Psychiatric Care Units. Overview Report – June 2010. Edinburgh: NHS QIS. http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/programmes/mental_health/ipcu/ipcu_national_overview.aspxGoogle Scholar
Pereira, S., Dawson, P., Sarsam, M. (2006) The national survey of PICU and low secure services: 2. unit characteristics. Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care. 2(1): 13–19.Google Scholar
Priebe, S., Katsakou, C., Amos, T., Leese, M., Morriss, R., Rose, D., Wykes, T., Yeeles, K. (2009) Patients’ views and readmissions 1 year after involuntary hospitalisation. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 194: 49–54.Google Scholar
Priebe, S., Katsakou, C., Glockner, M., Dembinskas, A., Fiorillo, A., Karastergiou, A., Kiejna, A., Kjellin, L., Nawka, P., Onchev, G., Raboch, J., Schuetzwohl, M., Solomon, Z., Torres-Gonzalez, F., Wang, D., Kallert, T. (2010) Patients' views of involuntary hospital admission after 1 and 3 months: prospective study in 11 European countries. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 196: 179–185.Google Scholar
Salzmann-Erikson, M., Lutzen, K., Ivarsson, A., Eriksson, H. (2008) The core characteristics and nursing care activities in psychiatric intensive care units in Sweden. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. 17(2): 98–107.Google Scholar
Scottish Government (2008) Mental Health Benchmarking Project: Technical appendix. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/212523/0056527.pdfGoogle Scholar
Smith, A. (1997) Survey of locked facilities in Scottish psychiatric hospitals. Psychiatric Bulletin. 21: 77–79.Google Scholar
Stevenson, G.S., Menon, A., Gallacher, N. (2006) A psychiatric intensive care unit for older adults. Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care. 2(2): 103–110.Google Scholar
Stevenson, G.S., Khan, M.A., Perumal, N. (2009) A psychiatric intensive care unit for older adults: an interval comparison of admissions. International Psychogeriatrics. 21(2): 278–285.Google Scholar
Wykes, T., Carroll, S. (1993) Patient satisfaction with intensive care psychiatric services; can it be assessed? Journal of Mental Health. 2: 339–347.Google Scholar