Chapter 6

The Nursing Process in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing

The Nursing Process   

•    It is a systematic framework for the delivery of nursing care.

•    It uses a problem-solving approach.

•    It is goal-directed, its objective being the delivery of quality client care.

•    It makes use of the nurse/Patient relationship.

The Nurse/Client Relationship

•    What is it?

•    The process by which the nurse provides care for the client in need of psychosocial intervention.

•    We use ourselves.

The Goal of the Nurse Client Relationship

•    The relationship focuses on the needs of the client, has goals which are specific, is theory based, and is open to supervision.

Goals Are Not:

•     To make the client happy

 

•      to get him to laugh or smile

 

•      to fix them

 

•      to solve their problems

The Therapeutic Use of Self

•     How does it differ from a social relationship?

 

.

The Therapeutic Use of Self

•     How does it differ from a social relationship?

•     The ability to use one’s personality consciously and in full awareness in an attempt to establish relatedness and to structure nursing interventions

•     We decide what to do or say based on whether it meets the needs of the client’s  goals

 

.

Therapeutic use of self

•    Self awareness

•    we must be willing to look at our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors honestly

•    without judgment

•    Unconditional positive regard toward the client and ourselves

Standards of Care

•    The standards of care for psychiatric nursing are written around the six steps of the nursing process.

 

•    Standard I.  Assessment

   The psychiatric/mental health nurse collects client health data.

 

Assessment Tools

•    We use a nursing history format to learn more about the client and his needs

•    Assessment includes general information, psychiatric and medical history, family history, cultural and social history, stage of development, support systems, coping styles, stressors, losses/changes, education, strengths, prrecipitasting event, anxiety level, defense mecvhanisms, medications, physical assessment,mental statues assessment.

Other Assessment Tools

•    Mental Status Exam

•    Spiritual Assesment

•    Substance Abuse Assessment- The Cage

•    Domestic Violence Assessment

•    Suicidal Risk Assessment

•    Lethality Risk Scale

 

Sociocultural Concepts

How Do Cultures Differ?

Standards of Care

•    Standard II.  Diagnosis

 

   The psychiatric/mental health nurse analyzes the assessment data in determining diagnoses

Anxiety related to Change of life style (nursing school) as evidenced by sleeplessness

Standards of Care (cont.)

•    Standard III.  Outcome Identification

 

   The psychiatric/mental health nurse identifies expected outcomes individualized to the client.

Standards of Care (cont.)

 

•    Standard IV.  Planning

   The psychiatric/mental health nurse develops a plan of care that is negotiated among the client, nurse, family, and healthcare team and prescribes evidence-based interventions to attain expected outcomes.

Standards of Care (cont.)

•    Standard IV.  Planning (cont.)

 

•    Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) - a comprehensive, standardized language describing treatments that nurses perform in all settings and in all specialties

•    NIC interventions based on research and reflect current clinical practice

 

Standards of Care (cont.)

•    Standard V.  Implementation

    The psychiatric/mental health nurse implements the interventions identified in the plan of care. Specific interventions:

–     Standard Va. Counseling:  to assist
clients in improving coping skills and
preventing mental illness and disability One-to one listening

–   Standard Vb. Milieu therapy: to provide and maintain a therapeutic environment for client- RN designs  unit activites based on client needs

–   Standard Vc. Self-care activities: to
foster independence and mental and

   physical well-being- Bathing, eating,working, paying bills

Standards of Care (cont.)

 

–    Standard Vd. Psychobiological

     interventions: to restore the client’s

     health and prevent further disability-medications

–    Standard Ve. Health teaching: to assist

    clients in achieving satisfying, productive, 

    and healthy patterns of living- Stress management, anger mangement

–    Standard Vf. Case management: to 

    coordinate comprehensive health services 

    and ensure continuity of care- refer to programs,community support groups

Standards of Care (cont.)

•    Standard Vg.  Health promotion and health maintenance:  implements strategies with clients to promote and maintain mental health and prevent mental illness- Teach

Standards of Care (cont.)

•    Advanced practice interventions also include:

–    Standard Vh. Psychotherapy:

    provides therapy for individuals,

    groups, families, and children to

    foster mental health and prevent disability-Advanced practice role

 

–   Standard Vi. Prescriptive authority and treatment: Advanced Practice Role- ARNP

Standards of Care (cont.)

•    Advanced practice interventions (cont.)

•    Standard Vj.  Consultation: 

   provides consultation to enhance

   the abilities of other clinicians to

   provide services for clients and

   effect change in the system- Usually advanced practice Master’s Prepared nurse

 

Standards of Care (cont.)

•    Standard VI.  Evaluation

   The psychiatric/mental health nurse evaluates the client’s progress in attaining expected outcomes.

   Collaborate with others on the team including patient and family.

Applying Nursing Process

Role of the nurse in psychiatry

•    The nurse assists the client’s successful adaptation to stressors within the environment.

•    Goals are directed toward change in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are age-appropriate and congruent with local and cultural norms.

•    The nurse is a valuable member of the interdisciplinary team, providing a service that is unique and based on sound knowledge of psychopathology, scope of practice, and legal implications of the role.

Documentation of the Nursing Process

•    Documentation of the steps of the nursing process is often considered as evidence in determining certain cases of negligence by nurses.

•    It is also required by some agencies that accredit healthcare organizations.

 

Documentation of the Nursing Process (cont.)

 Examples of documentation that reflect use of the nursing process

•    Problem-Oriented Recording (POR) 

•   Focus Chartingฎ

•  APIE method