Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, June 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Background: Health care settings are generally regarded as stress inducing environments. Stress can alter the immune response, impair wound healing and create a greater risk for asthma, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorder and myocardial infarction. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, there has been increasing interest in healing environments and evidence-based design concepts. Yet, there has been little progress developing healing environments and using evidence-based design for psychiatric inpatient units, a uniquely stressful environment. Psychiatric units today continue to use designs such as caged in outdoor patio areas that resemble facilities that incarcerate rather than facilities which reduce stress and facilitate healing. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to identify design features that are evidence-based which can be used to create an optimal inpatient psychiatric patient room by: (1) analyzing the research literature for evidence of architectural and design elements that could be used in the inpatient psychiatric care setting to reduce stress and improve the well-being; (2) identifying design elements that are consistent with accreditation and licensing standards for inpatient psychiatric units; and (3) designing a psychiatric inpatient room that has evidence-based elements to reduce stress and improve well-being. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted to identify factors in the inpatient healthcare environment that support an optimal healing environment. The PICO question for this review was what design factors in the inpatient healthcare environment support an optimal healing environment? A search of five databases and a hand search of reference lists were conducted. The search included studies from 1980 to the present, original research conducted on inpatient units with adult patients that investigated an intervention with an outcome that promotes a healing environment. Experimental, quasi-experimental, non-experimental, systematic literature reviews and expert opinions were sought and evaluated using a scale to analyze scientific rigor and research quality. Results: A total of 6,874 articles were identified in the search. Seventy-six articles were eligible for full text screening. After review of the full text, 38 articles were determined to be eligible for evidence analysis. After removing 11 inadmissible articles due to poor quality, 27 articles were included in the final synthesis. The search found research on eight hospital design features which may support optimal healing environments: artwork (n = 7), building configuration (n = 2), finish materials (n = 7), interior details (n = 6), lighting (n = 11), nature and view (n = 8), noise (n = 10), room configuration (n = 6). More than 50% of the research on optimal healing environments used quasi-experimental and non-experimental designs with rare use of experimental research designs. Overall, the quality of the research on optimal healing environments is not high, but results were reasonably consistent across studies. Conclusions: Evidence suggests seven design features for healing inpatient psychiatric environments, including: (a) single rooms, (b) calm, naturalistic and domestic artwork or photographs, (c) east facing windows, (d) plants, (e) acoustic ceiling tiles, (f) patient rooms removed from noise producing unit areas and (g) a window view of nature. These seven recommendations were examined for consistency with existing Arizona statutes and industry standards for behavioral health care environments. Recommendations found to be inconsistent with these statutes and standards were modified to reach congruency with the statutes and guidelines, and then an evidence-based design of a psychiatric inpatient room design was formulated and is illustrated. Future research on interventions to create healing environments at the greatest scientific rigor is needed along with measurement techniques to quantify stress responses to the environment.

Thesis (MHSc--Health Science) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2003. / Appendices not included in e-thesis. On spine : 2004. Also held in print (236 leaves, 30 cm.) in Akoranga Theses Collection (T 616.890092 PHA)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Marquette University, 2009. / Access available to Marquette University only. Stephen M. Saunders, Michael Wierzbicki, Stephen L. Franzoi, Bertrand D. Berger, Advisors.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1984. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 24-26).

Magister Curationis - MCur / Due to the large student-supervisor ratio, a school of nursing at an university in the Western Cape, developed specific preceptorship training for professional nurses working in e.g. psychiatric hospitals. This aimed at improving the clinical teaching expertise of professional nurses and ensuring positive experiences around placement of student nurses. It was unclear how undergraduate student nurses experienced their interactions with their preceptors while placed in psychiatric units. The study used a descriptive phenomenological design to describe the lived experiences of student nurses with preceptors during their clinical placement at a psychiatric hospital. Undergraduate student nurses who were allocated to a preceptor at a psychiatric hospital in the Western Cape served as the population of the study. Purposive sampling was applied and individual unstructured interviews (n=11) held. This study adopted Collaizi's method of data analysis. Results of this study indicated that the nurse preceptors played a supportive role towards students during placement in psychiatric units. This resulted in meeting the students' objectives and needs in clinical placement. A challenge around a comprehensive learning environment was interpreted as a great need during students' training. Ethical clearance was sought from the Ethics Committee of the University of the Western Cape and ethical principles followed in conducting the study. Trustworthiness was ensured during the research process.

Magister Curationis - MCur / Background: Mental illness has become more common than many other diseases such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes. Aggression or violence by patients towards psychiatric nurses is a global issue. These nurses, therefore, face the huge challenge of providing nursing care to aggressive psychiatric patients. Without the necessary knowledge and skills, the nurses are vulnerable to all kinds of injuries, given the time spent managing aggressive patients. Purpose and objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine the level of knowledge and skills that professional nurses possess to manage the aggression of psychiatric patients. The objective of the study was to ascertain whether the knowledge and skills of professional nurses were sufficient to manage aggressive psychiatric patients. Method: A quantitative approach and descriptive design was used to conduct this study at a Psychiatric Hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa. The target population consisted of 149 professional nurses employed at the Psychiatric Hospital. The sample for the study was all-inclusive i.e. all professional nurses employed at the hospital. Only 70 participants were available for the study. Structured questionnaires were distributed to the participants for data collection and the response rate was 77% (n=54). Data analysis was done with the aid of a statistician using a Statistical Package for Social Science, version 22, and nominal as well as ordinal data was analysed using descriptive analysis. The process and purpose of the study was explained to the participants, who gave their consent, prior to the distributing of the questionnaires. The researcher obtained permission from the necessary authorities before commencing with the study. Findings: The study found that nurses were more likely to be exposed to verbal aggression as opposed to sexual aggression. It also revealed that nurses with less years of experience had more knowledge than their counterparts who had more years of experience in same position. Furthermore, the study revealed that those who had training in aggression management reported that the training did not meet their needs. Overall, the findings revealed that nurses had a fair knowledge of managing aggressive psychiatric patients. The overall findings also revealed that professional nurses had the required skills to manage aggressive patients. Recommendations: There is a need for on-going in-service training and refresher courses in the management of aggression. There should also be a needs analysis before commencing with these training courses which should be made compulsory for all staff to attend. Further studies should be conducted on the different categories of nurses, and other disciplines within nursing, to ascertain their knowledge of the management of aggression. Qualitative studies should also be conducted on nurses‟ experience of aggression in different settings.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between ordinal birth position, family size, and psychiatric diagnosis, in patients at a state-mental hospital.

The purpose of this Heideggerian phenomenological study was to understand the meaning of the lived experience of seclusion in a psychiatric hospital. Five people with a long standing mental illness who had spent time in a locked seclusion room in a psychiatric hospital were asked to describe their experience in seclusion.Consistent with the method, purposive sampling was used in order to obtain an understanding from those who had lived the experience of seclusion and could articulate their experience. Interviews were audiotaped and the data were transcribed by the researcher. Audiotapes were destroyed when the study was completed. Transcribed data were shared with other researchers who were familiar with Heideggerian phenomenology and hermeneutics for the purpose ofgaining insight into the interpretations. When data were shared, names of participants and other identifying information were removed. Sharing of data for purpose of interpretation is inherent in the Heideggerian method as described by Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner (1989). Data were analyzed using Diekelmann, Allen, and Tanner's (1989) seven stages. The following patterns emerged constituted pattern- Seclusion, A Paradox Being Powerless yet Hopeful with the supporting themes of 1.) Being Punished, 2) Being Abandoned, and 3) An Opportunity for Reflection and Self Growth. / School of Nursing

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2007 / Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Social Work. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-62).