Exploring nurse-patient relationships on acute mental health wards
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An evaluation of factors affecting nurse patient relationships and outcomes in acute mental health inpatient settings
IRAS ID
228720
Contact name
Susan Sookoo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Essex
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study is a requirement of will investigate how nursing staff and patients interact on acute mental health inpatient wards. It aims to identify factors which influence the development of therapeutic relationships. It also aims to find out whether the quality of these relationships affects patients’ experience of treatment, and how nurses experience working in the wards. It will explore how relationships can make wards more or less safe for both staff and patients.
The study will be carried out in three wards in one London mental health trust over a 6 month period and will have two main parts, one in which staff of all professions and patients who have been in hospital for 7 days or more will be asked to complete a questionnaire and another in which they will be interviewed. Based on other studies carried out in these settings we expect that around 40 (75% of total) ward staff will complete the questionnaires. We aim to recruit an equivalent number of patients. The questionnaires will ask about staff levels of burnout and job satisfaction, patient satisfaction with treatment, and both groups’ experience of therapeutic relationships and perceptions of the ward environment.
We will ask between 4 and 6 nursing staff and a similar number of patients to participate in in-depth interviews to discuss their experience of developing therapeutic relationships.
We will also collect information on the number of staff on each shift and incidents of self-harm and violence on the wards. All information will be anonymous and we will not access patient records or present findings which might identify staff or patients in any way. The findings will be discussed with staff and patient groups in the host Trust as well as the wider NHS. The study is a requirement of a PhD.REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1727
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion