Experiences of nurses regarding challenges faced while dealing with psychiatric patients in both public and private tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.

Abstract

To explore the challenges of mental health nurses in dealing with psychiatric patients. The qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study was conducted at three public and private psychiatric setups in Karachi from August 13 to October 30, 2018, and comprised mental health nurses having a minimum 6-month experience of working in a psychiatric ward. Data was collected using focus group discussion using a semi-structured interview guide. The proceedings were transcribed, translated and analysed using thematic analysis, leading to the formation of themes, categories and sub-categories. Of the 15 nurses with mean age 25±1.95 years, 5(33.3%) were from the public sector and 10(66.6%) were associated with private-sector institutions. Besides, 7(46.6%) nurses had work experience up to 5 years. There were three sessions of focus group discussion; 1(33.3%) of public-sector nurses and 2(66.6%) of priver-sector nurses. Each session had 5(33.3%) participants. Post-transcription feedback was provided by 8(53%) nurses. There were 4 themes; lack of resources, safety-related challenges, lack of staff capacity building, and lack of support. The themes overall had 14 categories and 7 sub-categories. The nurses exposed to patient aggression should be provided debriefing sessions to deal with possible burnout.