Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (D.N.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

MSc (Nursing), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / Therapeutic communication skills are vital in psychiatric nursing. They contribute extensively to patients' perceptions about the quality of care received whilst in hospital. The aim of the study was to establish inpatients' level of general satisfaction and satisfaction with nursing communication in a psychiatric hospital, with a view to suggesting recommendations that focus on improving nurse-patient relationships. This study was conducted in a specialist psychiatric hospital in Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa. The target population was 140 inpatients and a sample size of 53 patients was used after the selection process had been completed. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and non-experimental design was selected for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires. The purpose of the study was to determine psychiatric patients' satisfaction of nurses' communication and care in psychiatric hospital. Raw data was pooled and analysed using descriptive statistical analytical procedures. The results were presented in graphs, tables and summaries depicting the responses and highlighting patients' overall experience of hospitalization and nursing interventions and communication. Recommendations to relevant stakeholders are suggested based on the findings of this study in order to improve service delivery in psychiatric hospitals.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

No description available.

The transition from the apartheid rule to a new democracy in South Africa has been accompanied by a vision of a national health care system that is based on the principles of universal primary health care. This vision opens up access to provision of mental health to everyone. This means that nurses, as gate-keepers of primary health care, have had to be trained in identification and management of minor mental health problems that are presented in their community clinics as well as health centres. For the current study, the need for such training was identified by an intern psychologist placed in one of the clinics in the area of KwaDedangendlale Valley of a Thousand Hills. His work in the area alerted him to the shortcomings of the nurses in both identification and management of what was perceived to be mental health problems. These shortcomings included the nurses' inability to identity and hence properly refer patients who needed the intervention of a professional mental health specialist. From this, a training programme which also included a reorientation process to deal with negative attitudes that are usually levied against the mentally ill was undertaken. Reorientation in this context was based on the assumption that prior to training nurses had a particular world view or position towards the provision of health care, which was identified to be biomedical and this training sought to re-orientate them towards the provision of a more holistic care which is inclusive of psycho social aspect of functioning The follow up to that training and reorientation programme was an evaluation component. This sought to ascertain whether after training, nurses were better equipped to identify and manage mental health problems. Further to that, the researcher sought to identify whether their attitudes had improved, such that they would be willing to deal with patients who presented with minor psychiatric problems. The objective of the current study is to present results of the evaluation component that was undertaken after training. This evaluation took into consideration both the process undertaken during training and the outcome of the reorientation process itself. Process evaluation focused on what makes a programme successful or unsuccessful. This included how the training was undertaken, i.e. manner of instruction etc. Outcome evaluation focused on establishing how good the programme was and whether it managed to provide desired outcomes i.e. change in nurses' attitudes. The Physician's Belief Scale (Ashworth, Williamson & Montano, 1984) was used for both the pre and post evaluation of the nurses' attitudes. The results revealed that before training, nurses had limited knowledge of mental health problems and as a consequence of this limited knowledge they developed negative attitudes towards provision of mental health care. One of the unexpected results of the study was the response of one of the groups of the nurses trained to the integrative manner of instruction. Their response highlighted the importance of understanding the influence of the padagogy on knowledge transmission and acquisition. Nurses reported to be accustomed to harsh pedagogical methods, used during formal nursing training. This kind of pedagogy was viewed as disempowering, as well as somewhat disrespectful, and hence, the much as the friendly and warm atmosphere presented by the facilitators in the current study was viewed as a welcomed change and an empowering process. Most importantly, one was also alerted to the importance of providing ongoing support to health care professionals after being trained. As Petersen (2000) has cautioned that should there be no additional mentoring or support, nurses would be likely to revert to their usuaVold styles of dealing with their patients' problems, given that the training does not necessarily change their environments. They would still be pressured to see large numbers of patients within a limited time period. And because of this, it becomes easier to just prescribing medication than to explore issues that are psychological in nature. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

It has been suggested that a unique feature of some mental health nurses' work is exposure through their role as therapists to clients' descriptions of, and reactions to, trauma, and that these experiences may actually indirectly cause distress and traumatization to the nurse. This proposed phenomenon has been termed "secondary traumatic stress" and is the focus of the current study. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore secondary traumatic stress experienced by nurses working in mental health services in Rwanda. Methods: The research was conducted in Ndera Psychiatric Hospital. The questionnaire consisted of items of the Trauma Attachment Belief Scale (T ABS), demographic characteristics of participants, personal trauma history, work related aspects and support systems. A convenient sampling of 50 nurses who provide a mental health care to trauma survivors and mentally ill patients in the Ndera Psychiatric Hospital was adopted. Results: Results of the study indicate that there is belief disruption in the respondents. The mean scores of most of the respondents were high in all areas of cognitive believe. Of the respondents, 98% (n=49) had T -score of 80 for other-safety which was extremely high. The nurses identified the psychiatric nurses and a psychiatrist as their main support systems in dealing with secondary traumatic stress and generally believed in the usefulness of supervision. Conclusion: In summary, this study expanded on knowledge into the effects of secondary traumatization, particularly with concern to mental health clinicians, a population often ignored. This study was considered to be a contribution to trauma literature as it provides much needed empirical evidence. / Thesis (M.Cur.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how psychiatric nurses working with psychiatric clients in the EThekwini District understand the spiritual dimension of holistic psychiatric nursing practice. Descriptive phenomenology informed the study design, data collection and analysis. Integrating spiritual and psychiatric care is an important contemporary issue for psychiatric nursing if the profession is to continue to define itself as a holistic and client-centered activity and to provide socially responsive care (Greasley et al 2001; Mohr, 2006). Local data about how nurses understand and practice spirituality in their working encounters with clients would be an important first step in enhancing holistic, patient-centered psychiatric nursing care in the South African context. Purposeful sampling was used to select the seven psychiatric nurses working in psychiatric settings in the EThekwini District. These participants were selected from the advanced psychiatric nursing classes of the School of Nursing of the University of KwaZulu-Natal for 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. Data were collected through in-depth interviews lasting for 45minutes to lhour and were audio-taped and later transcribed to facilitate easy analysis. The Colaizzi Method of data analysis and representation was utilized. The following four themes emerged during the analysis of the data. Each theme had between three and twenty one associated significant statements. Theme 1 revolved around the higher power of spirituality, religion and their relationship. The participants conceptualized spirituality in a variety of ways, linking spirituality to religion and to cultural values, daily moral and interpersonal experiences with self and others that provide direction and meaning in life. Spirituality was conceived of as "the glue that brings people together" and as a primary source of meaning making in daily life that provides people, nurses and patients with a sense of belonging and of joy, hope, and comfort in both difficult and happy times. The second theme "Central to but forgotten in psychiatric nursing practice" concurs with the literature view that spirituality and psychiatric nursing care are related, although spirituality is often forgotten in psychiatric nursing practice. Participants linked spirituality specifically to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. The third theme entitled "Psychiatric nursing for the spirit: Enabling and limiting factors identifies a number of factors which influence how psychiatric nurses engage with this dimension of holistic psychiatric nursing practice. This theme focuses on factors which influence psychiatric nurses in providing spiritual care for their patients. Enabling factors include psychiatric' nurses own spiritual orientation and knowledge about spiritual care enables them to provide spiritual care whereas limiting factors include the lack of spiritual education and spiritual knowledge in providing this care. The final theme highlights what these nurses see as important for developing their ability to provide spiritual assistance and includes education in method of spiritual assessment and intervention as the basis for providing holistic psychiatric nursing practice. A number of recommendations for psychiatric nursing practice, education, research and policy-making based on the data from the study were made to relevant stakeholders. If accepted and implemented will go a long way in augmenting psychiatric nursing intervention to be holistic wherein psychiatric nursing care will include not only the biological, psychological and social care but also the spiritual care. / Thesis (MN)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1971. / Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Mildred Montag. Dissertation Committee: Elizabeth M. Maloney. Includes bibliographical references.