Nicotine consumption in childhood and adolescence-fundamentals and considerations for handling the topic in child and adolescent psychiatric settings

Peer support, grounded in lived experiences, plays an important role in advancing recovery‐oriented mental healthcare. Although widely implemented in community settings, its adoption in acute psychiatric inpatient care remains limited because of structural and cultural factors that constrain recovery‐oriented practices. This scoping review aimed to map existing evidence on peer support in acute psychiatric inpatient settings, focusing on (1) implementation formats, (2) peer roles, and (3) facilitators and challenges. Following the Arksey and O'Malley framework, we conducted a scoping review using the participants, concepts, and context framework. We systematically searched the PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and ProQuest databases. We included studies that involved individuals with mental health conditions, described peer support provided by persons with lived experiences, and were conducted in acute psychiatric inpatient settings. Eleven studies, published between 1995 and 2024, met the inclusion criteria. Peer support was reported as being implemented through informal and structured formats that vary in frequency, continuity, and delivery contexts. Peer roles included emotional, practical, advocacy, and relational support. The reported benefits include increased activity participation, emotional reassurance, social engagement, and recovery‐related gains for both patients and peer workers. Facilitators include training, supervision, leadership support, and collaborative relationships with staff. The reported challenges include unclear role boundaries, staff resistance, emotional strain, and structural limitations, including space, resources, and barriers to team integration. The findings suggest that peer support may help promote recovery‐oriented practices in acute psychiatric settings, although further rigorous studies are needed to confirm its impact and inform sustainable integration.

Background Patients with co-existing substance use and mental disorder (dual diagnosis) have complex and challenging care needs. Acute psychiatric care settings play a vital role in providing services for patients with dual diagnosis as they often do not voluntarily seek treatment. This is significant in that recent data reveals that 57% of the psychiatric inpatients at an inner city hospital in Vancouver, Canada are characterized as dual diagnosis. Purpose To develop an educational module which will equip nurses/practitioners with the skills and knowledge required to deliver evidence-based dual diagnosis care in acute psychiatric settings. Methods A survey of 74 nurses working in acute psychiatric settings was completed to identify their learning needs and challenges. This was followed by a comprehensive review of evidence from literature to identify competencies, knowledge and skills needed to deliver dual diagnosis care. Content for the educational module was then validated by a panel of leading international experts on dual diagnosis. Two focus groups of acute psychiatric nurses were then conducted to discuss content. An 8 hour educational session was then developed and piloted using the content that was reviewed and validated. Results Thirteen content areas were identified and validated by experts. Evaluations from participants of the educational session suggest improved knowledge, skills and competencies in dual diagnosis care. Conclusions This project translates evidence into practice, contributes to the body of knowledge on dual diagnosis care and improves practitioners’ confidence and competency in delivering evidence-based care which also will improve patient care outcomes and experiences.

Pilot Study to Enhance Recovery Through Physical Activity and Healthy Lifestyles in an Acute Psychiatric Day Hospital Setting

Background: The therapeutic relationship and its importance for psychotherapy outcome have been the subject of extensive research over the last decades. An acute psychiatric inpatient setting is a unique environment where severely ill patients receive intensive treatment over a limited, relatively short, period of time. This renders establishing a good therapeutic relationship difficult for various reasons. It seems likely, however, that the therapeutic relationship in such a setting plays a vital role on factors such as clinical outcome, patient satisfaction, and rehospitalization rates. Little information is available on special attributes and caveats of building and maintaining a good therapeutic relationship in an acute psychiatric setting, neither on its influence on therapy success.Methods: An extensive systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, science direct, psyc info, and google scholar databases. Keywords used were therapeutic alliance, therapeutic relationship, psychiatry, emergency, acute, coercion, autonomy, involuntary, closed ward. RCTs, observational studies, reviews, meta-analyses, and economic evaluations were included, case reports and opinion papers were excluded. Factors specific to an acute psychiatric setting were identified, and the available information was categorized and analyzed accordingly. The PRISMA statement guidelines were followed closely upon research and preparation of the present review.Results: A total of 48 studies were selected based on their relevance as well as design. They demonstrated that several factors related to setting, patient attributes, staff attributes, admission circumstances, and general situation, render building and maintaining a good therapeutic relationship difficult in an acute psychiatric setting compared to scheduled, long-term therapeutic sessions. The available literature on how to overcome this dilemma is scarce. Interventions involving staff and/or patients have been shown to be effective in terms of relevant outcome parameters.Conclusions: Increasing research efforts, as well as raising awareness and providing specific competencies amongst clinicians and patients in terms of nurturing a good therapeutic relationship in acute settings, are necessary to improve clinical outcome, economic factors, quality of patient care and patient as well as staff satisfaction.

Healthcare assistants are untrained and unregistered frontline staff but are expected to be proactive in preventing and responding to 'untoward' incidents quickly and efficiently when working within adult acute inpatient psychiatric settings. Healthcare assistants should be trained to provide enhanced care to service users residing in acute psychiatric settings. To date, a training programme in Psychological First Aid has not been expended in such a setting with nonregistered staff. The study demonstrates that training healthcare assistants in Psychological First Aid is useful in improving their confidence in caring for service users, therapeutic engagement with service users and ward culture in general. A training programme in Psychological First Aid for healthcare assistants to enhance ward culture can be implemented in different practice environments. Psychological First Aid is harmonious with nursing values and provides healthcare assistants with a relevant, useful and easily understood toolkit to apply in acute psychiatric settings. Introduction Healthcare assistants working within adult acute inpatient psychiatric settings are untrained and unregistered, however, they can contribute to quality service if they receive some training. Psychological First Aid training has never been expended in these settings, so this study intends to fill this gap in the existing evidence with this category of healthcare personnel. Aim The aim of this study was to introduce and evaluate first aid training for healthcare assistants. Method A pre/post design was adopted to gather data using questionnaires and interviews. The groups of participants included 16 healthcare assistants trained in Psychological First Aid, a sample of service users and four ward managers. Results Post-training, (a) healthcare assistants and service users ranked the therapeutic milieu of the ward more favourably, (b) the self-efficacy of the healthcare assistants increased, and the number of 'untoward' incidents decreased, and (c) health care assistants' confidence in their skills was high. The ward manager interviews post-training revealed four themes: (a) staff utilization of new skills and renewed enthusiasm, (b) calmer atmosphere on the ward and staff togetherness, (c) confidence and reflection on practice and (d) therapeutic engagement. Discussion Training healthcare assistants is useful in improving staff confidence, therapeutic engagement with service users and ward culture in general. Implications for practice Techniques and skills learnt are relevant and useful to healthcare assistants and provide an easily understood toolkit that is harmonious with nursing values. If executed correctly, the training can enhance practice and care outcomes and the overall service user experience.

To explore the factors that influence the use of de-escalation and its success in halting conflict in acute psychiatric inpatient setting. De-escalation is the use of verbal and nonverbal communication to reduce or eliminate aggression and violence during the escalation phase of a patient's behaviour. Although de-escalation is a first-line intervention in aggression management in acute psychiatric settings, little is known about the use or effectiveness of this technique. A retrospective case note analysis. For each patient (n=522), their involvement in conflict (e.g. aggression) or containment (e.g. coerced medication) during the first two weeks of their admission was recorded. The frequency and order of the conflict and containment events were identified during each shift. The sequences of events occurring in shifts involving de-escalation were analysed. Sequences where de-escalation ended the pattern of conflict or containment were categorised as 'successful', and all others were categorised as 'unsuccessful'. Over half of patients (53%) experienced de-escalation during the first two weeks of admission, with the majority of these (37%) experiencing multiple episodes. De-escalation was successful in approximately 60% of cases. Successful de-escalations were preceded by fewer, and less aggressive, conflict events, compared with unsuccessful de-escalations, which were most frequently followed by administration of pro re nata medication. Patients with a history of violence were more likely to experience de-escalation, and it was more likely to be unsuccessful. De-escalation is frequently effective in halting a sequence of conflict in acute inpatient settings, but patients with a history of violence may be specifically challenging. These findings provide support for de-escalation in practice but suggest that nurses may lack confidence in using the technique when the risk of violence is greater. Providing evidence-based staff training may improve staff confidence in the use of this potentially powerful technique.

The introduction of sensory rooms within acute psychiatric settings provides a therapeutic space that promotes emotional self-regulation and reduces distress and disruptive behaviours. The current research investigated the clinical benefit of a sensory room within an adolescent psychiatric unit. It examined whether guided sensory room use can reduce distress for adolescents and identified characteristics of sensory room users. Seclusion rates 12months pre- and post-sensory room introduction were compared. The matched sample comprised 56 sensory room users and 56 sensory room non-users, aged 12-18years (M=15.35, SD=1.35). Sensory room users were administered a pre- and post-measure of distress. Further demographic and clinical data were collected from hospital files and results analysed. Adolescents' distress was reduced following sensory room use. The greatest reduction of distress was predicted by a history of aggression. Female gender was associated with sensory room use, as was the presence of an anxiety disorder. There was no significant difference in seclusion rates after introducing the sensory room. Sensory rooms could provide occupational therapists with a valuable tool for reducing distress for adolescents in psychiatric units, especially for those with a history of aggression. Results suggested that female adolescents or adolescents with anxiety disorders may be particularly receptive to using the sensory room. This research provides evidence that can inform occupational therapists when tailoring therapeutic treatment strategies and guide the development of prevention and management of emotional dysregulation and aggression within adolescent psychiatric settings.

School-aged youth with behavioral health needs often struggle in the academic environment. When admitted to acute psychiatric hospital settings, the student's difficulties and needs increase upon discharge and return to the school setting. While the literature describes systemic issues in transitioning from an acute psychiatric hospital to the school setting, limited resources exist for practitioners to plan for and support the successful reintegration of affected students. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the purpose of the current systematic review was to collect and synthesize evidence from the literature (N = 20) in the areas of barriers, challenges, and significance of the need for a formal transition planning framework. Four major key factors emerged as important to assist in creating a transition planning framework for acute psychiatric hospitals to school-based settings: (a) Stakeholder Voice (Student, Caregiver, Hospital/Treatment Team, or School Team Voice); (b) Establishing a Point Person for Transition (Medical or School Point Person); (c) Recommendations/Accommodations (Formal or Informal Supports); and (d) Having a Transition Meeting. Other common factors are discussed, and recommendations are provided to aid practitioners in increasing the likelihood that school-age youth succeed in the school environment post-discharge from acute psychiatric settings. Finally, gaps in the literature are identified as areas for further research.

An educational program for staff in an acute, involuntary inpatient setting has led to positive change by challenging the widely held belief that getting hurt is an expected part of the job in acute psychiatric care settings. The Staying Safe program encouraged staff to think differently about their roles and to explore alternative responses to patient behaviors. Cultural change takes time: Staff have requested that the program be repeated multiple times over the past 5 years, and key concepts have been incorporated into employee orientation and refresher programs. During that same time, staff have learned to call for help more often and to have a plan for such help before physically intervening with patients. The strategies described in this program have resulted in decreased number of assaults on staff, injuries from assaults, and lost work time from those injuries.

Risk assessment tools for sexual assault: a scoping review

Nurses’ meaning of caring with patients in acute psychiatric hospital settings: A grounded theory study

Background: Trauma-informed care is increasingly recognized as the ideal model of care for acute psychiatric inpatient units; however, it continues to be a challenge to implement. The aims of this review are (1) to synthesize the research exploring health professionals’ experiences of providing trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient settings and (2) to examine these experiences through a gender lens, particularly relating to gender-based violence. This research will provide additional insights to facilitate implementation of trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient care. Method: A comprehensive scoping review methodology was adopted. English-language, peer-reviewed articles published between January 1998 and March 2018 were identified from seven databases. Inclusion criteria included a qualitative or mixed-method study design. Results: Eight full-text articles were found. This review highlights the importance for health professionals to have a reflective environment and a multilayered level of collaboration to adopt trauma-informed care. However, negative attitudes toward female consumers and inconsistent implementation strategies continue to hold back implementation of trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient units. Overall, limited consideration for gendered issues and gender-based violence in the implementation of trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient settings was found. Conclusion and Implications: There is a lack of research on health professionals’ experiences of providing trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient units, with even less research considerating gender-based violence. We argue that more research is needed to gain a better understanding of the experience of health professionals from acute psychiatric inpatient settings to inform future implementation of trauma-informed care.

This study examined usage patterns of restraint and seclusion before and after the implementation of collaborative problem solving (CPS), a manualized therapeutic program for working with aggressive children and adolescents. The clinical setting was a 15-bed psychiatric inpatient unit for school-age children. A total of 755 children were hospitalized for a total of 998 admissions from fiscal years 2003 to 2007 (median age=11 years; 64% boys). Data were collected for three years before and 1.5 years after the six-month implementation of the CPS model of care. There were 559 restraint and 1,671 seclusion events during the study period. After implementation of the CPS model there was a reduction in the use of restraints (from 263 events to seven events per year, representing a 37.6-fold reduction, slope [beta]=-.696) and seclusion (from 432 to 133 events per year, representing a 3.2-fold reduction, beta=-.423). The mean duration of restraints decreased from 41+/-8 to 18+/-20 minutes per episode, yielding cumulative unitwide restraint use that dropped from 16+/-10 to .3+/-.5 hours per month (a 45.5-fold reduction, beta=-.674). The mean duration of seclusion decreased from 27+/-5 to 21+/-5 minutes per episode, yielding cumulative unitwide seclusion use that dropped from 15+/-6 to 7+/-6 hours per month (a 2.2-fold reduction; p for trend .01 or better for all slopes). During the early phases of implementation there was a transient increase in staff injuries through patient assaults. CPS is a promising approach to reduce seclusion and restraint use in a child psychiatric inpatient setting. Future research and replication efforts are warranted to test its effectiveness in other restrictive settings.

The management of aggression in inpatient psychiatric facilities is a major concern for nurses. Despite the prevalence of research on aggression within psychiatric settings, very few studies have tracked the clinical management of identified patients in a systematic manner. The overall aim of this study was to explore the clinical management of patients identified as potentially aggressive in psychiatric inpatient settings. A multimethod approach was used to collect the data. This included surveys, focus groups, and a file audit of patients identified from a random sample of completed aggression incident forms. The findings indicated that 88% of nurses who participated in the survey were assaulted and indicated the need for risk assessment; team management and review; and the importance of the first 5 days of admission as crucial for assessment and review. The development of support structures, formal preceptoring and supervisory arrangements and postincident supports were suggested as part of an overall strategy to support nurses working in acute inpatient settings.

The management of aggression in inpatient psychiatric facilities is a major concern for nurses. Despite the prevalence of research on aggression within psychiatric settings, very few studies have tracked the clinical management of identified patients in a systematic manner. The overall aim of this study was to explore the clinical management of patients identified as potentially aggressive in psychiatric inpatient settings. A multimethod approach was used to collect the data. This included surveys, focus groups, and a file audit of patients identified from a random sample of completed aggression incident forms. The findings indicated that 88% of nurses who participated in the survey were assaulted and indicated the need for risk assessment; team management and review; and the importance of the first 5 days of admission as crucial for assessment and review. The development of support structures, formal preceptoring and supervisory arrangements and postincident supports were suggested as part of an overall strategy to support nurses working in acute inpatient settings.