Abstract
The objective was to investigate the perception of nurses, nursing assistants and patients about nursing care at a general hospital psychiatric unit. Exploratory study with 16/20 nursing professionals and 27/84 patients from the psychiatric inpatient unit of a general hospital. Interviews were based on guiding questions about the nursing care in said unit. Thematic content analysis was adopted. The subjects acknowledge that nursing promotes the recovery of patients, that it is essential during hospitalization, and defend that working in psychiatry requires a taste and profile for it. The patients value warmth, attention, serenity, good mood, patience, concern, presence, promptness, respect and responsibility. The professionals value affection, dedication, effort, patience, security and serenity. Professionals and patients wonder if changes in nursing care during hospitalization stimulate independence/autonomy for discharge or reflect carelessness. In conclusion, nursing care is essential during psychiatric hospitalization, but it requires that professionals like it and have the right profile.
Highlights
Nursing represents the largest group of professionals working in mental health worldwide
This study aims to investigate the perception of nurses, nursing assistants and psychiatric patients about the nursing care in a general hospital psychiatric unit
The sample was composed of the population of psychiatric patients hospitalized from August to October 2011, and nursing professionals working at said psychiatric unit
Summary
Nursing represents the largest group of professionals working in mental health worldwide. It is estimated that there are 5.8 psychiatric nurses per 100,000 inhabitants, while there are 1.27 psychiatrists and 0.3 psychologists for the same number of inhabitants (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011). Nursing plays a fundamental role in the mental health area, since well-trained nurses (with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience) can perform assessments, provide assistance as to clinical and psychosocial aspects of individuals, as well as help develop health policies for their country. The importance of nursing proves even greater because the changes that people with mental disorders present, especially those related to their mental and behavioral functions, require observation and direct care, which is carried out by nursing all 24 hours of the day (Barker, 2008; Townsend, 2014). A significant improvement in psychiatric symptoms promoted by electroconvulsive therapy (developed in the 1940s), psychiatric drugs
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