Training healthcare assistants (HCAs) in Psychological First Aid (PFA)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Training healthcare assistants (HCAs) working on adult, acute, inpatient psychiatric wards, in psychological first aid (PFA): a feasibility study
IRAS ID
174652
Contact name
Mary Chambers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Kingston University and St.George's, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 26 days
Research summary
This is a feasibility, intervention study which is adopting a pre and post design. Qualitative and quantitative measures will be employed.
Psychological first aid (PFA) is a ‘needs led’ assessment for assisting people in the immediate aftermath of adversity to reduce distress and to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning. It is meant to be humane, non-intrusive, supportive and practical assistance for those who have recently suffered exposure to ‘stressors’. It is also aimed to improve self-efficacy in the ‘client’ by letting them cope in their own way. The components of PFA include having the opportunity to talk without pressure, active listening on the behalf of the ‘first aider’ and compassion. The steps include contact and engagement and stabilisation.
As the danger of violence and/or aggression is often associated with this branch of psychiatric nursing, one of the skills required is to spot a build-up of tension and be able to defuse it, take charge of stressful, untoward incidents and/or their aftermath. These skills are all essential in performing PFA. Frontline, unqualified staff like HCAs who work within psychiatric settings are perfectly placed to benefit from PFA training as it is not something that only qualified professionals can do as is not seen as professional counselling. When crises occur PFA practitioners are expected to guide services users so of executed correctly, it has the potential to reduce untoward incidents on psychiatric wards, enhance practice and care and the patient experience and outcomes and increase HCAs self-efficacy and confidence.
To date, the mainstay of PFA work comes from the WHO World vision War Trauma Foundation but there is little empirical testing and evidence surrounding its efficacy. This is the first time that PFA will be expended in an acute, inpatient, psychiatric setting with unqualified staff.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0793
Date of REC Opinion
18 May 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion