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What does mental health nursing contribute to improving the physical health of service users with severe mental illness? A thematic analysis
Author(s) -
Gray Richard,
Brown Eleanor
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.911
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1447-0349
pISSN - 1445-8330
DOI - 10.1111/inm.12296
Subject(s) - thematic analysis , interview , mental health , service (business) , mental illness , nursing , medicine , work (physics) , mental health service , rehabilitation , psychology , psychiatry , qualitative research , physical therapy , mechanical engineering , social science , economy , sociology , political science , law , engineering , economics
Authors have generally reported that mental health nurses (MHNs) have positive attitudes to providing physical health care to service users with severe mental illness. In the present study, we aimed to explore if this positive attitude translates to enhanced clinical practice by interviewing MHNs and the service users they work with. Semistructured interviews were completed with 15 service users and 18 MHNs from acute, rehabilitation, and community services. These were then transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Six themes emerged: (i) not the work of MHNs; (ii) the physical effects of psychiatric drugs are ignored; (iii) the need to upskill; (iv) keeping busy; (v) horrible hospital food/living on takeaways; and (vi) motivation to change. Our overarching meta‐theme was of unmet physical health need among service users.