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Situation awareness: when nurses decide to admit or not admit a person with mental illness as an involuntary patient
Author(s) -
Patterson Christopher,
Procter Nicholas,
Toffoli Luisa
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.13024
Subject(s) - autonomy , context (archaeology) , meaning (existential) , mental health , psychology , multitude , nursing , process (computing) , legislation , medicine , psychiatry , psychotherapist , computer science , epistemology , paleontology , philosophy , political science , law , biology , operating system
Abstract Aim This paper will explore the application of situation awareness in nursing to determine its suitability as a framework to study how the decision to admit or not admit a person as an involuntary patient is made. Background The decision by a specially qualified nurse to admit or not admit a person to a mental health facility against their will remains a central component of contemporary mental health legislation. The decision has an impact on a person's autonomy and human rights. Conversely, the decision to admit may facilitate urgent assessment and treatment and ensure the safety of the individual and others. Research highlights that decision‐making in this context is challenging due to the multiple information sources and often incomplete information available to the clinician. Situation awareness is a concept used to explain how practitioners identify, use and make meaning of a multitude of factors and elements relevant to their practice. Design Discussion paper. Data sources A search of terms related to situation awareness and mental health nursing was conducted in the period 2000 – present. Implications for nursing Exploring nurses decision‐making using a situation awareness framework provides for a more nuanced understanding of nurses knowledge and skill when deciding to admit or not a person as an involuntary patient. Conclusion The concept of situation awareness provides a framework to better understand the decision‐making process associated with the involuntary admission decision.