A qualitative synthesis of patients' experiences of re-traumatization in acute mental health inpatient settings
Rates of re-traumatization among mentally ill-health patients have risen significantly over the past decade and clinical guidelines place mental health nurses at the heart of their care. Aim: To gather, analyse, and synthesize the evidence on people's experiences on retraumatization in acute mental health inpatient settings. Method: A systematic search for qualitative studies (CINAHL, MEDLINE, ASSIA, PsycINFO, and EMBASE) was conducted. Two authors independently assessed eligibility and appraised methodological quality using Joanna Briggs's quality appraisal tool and extracted data. The analysis followed the principles of interpretative synthesis.Results: Fourteen papers were included for thematic synthesis. Three themes emerged: (1) Quality of staff interaction; (2) Specific interventions, (Sub-theme nature of symptoms); and (3) Nature of the environment. Discussion: Our findings demonstrate that patients are experiencing re-traumatization in acute mental health inpatient settings and that there is little being done to prevent it from occurring. Implications for Practice: This study is the first to analyse the factors that contribute to re-traumatization and make recommendations to mental healthcare professionals to reduce the harmful practices in place in inpatient settings. It is suggested that training staff in trauma-informed care and allowing patients to be experts in their own care can reduce the rates of re-traumatization
History
Publication
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health NursingPublisher
Wiley & SonsExternal identifier
Department or School
- Nursing and Midwifery