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Hospital rules and regulations: The perspectives of youth receiving psychiatric care
Author(s) -
Gros Catherine Pugnaire,
Parr Ciara,
Wright David K.,
Montreuil Marjorie,
Frechette Julie
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.331
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1744-6171
pISSN - 1073-6077
DOI - 10.1111/jcap.12166
Subject(s) - perception , general partnership , perspective (graphical) , mood , unintended consequences , psychology , common sense , qualitative research , psychiatry , medicine , sociology , social science , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , computer science , political science , law , finance , economics
Background Rules and regulations represent an aspect of psychiatric hospitalization about which little is known. Study Purpose To explore the perceptions of rules from the perspective of youth receiving hospital‐based psychiatric services. Design Qualitative descriptive. Methods Perceptions of rules were elicited through semi‐structured interviews with a convenience sample of six youth. Results Rules were perceived as governing virtually all aspects of everyday living in the hospital environment. Rules were used to structure daily activities, routines, and social interactions, and were embedded within clinical protocols and treatment plans. For each participant, “making sense” or “not making sense” were central themes through which rules were interpreted as being either therapeutic or oppressive. Rules that made “no sense” negatively affected youth mood, behavior, treatment adherence, and engagement in a collaborative relationship. Conclusion Working in partnership with youth in psychiatric care to establish, implement, and evaluate rules that “make sense” can promote positive health outcomes and prevent negative, unintended consequences.