Nurses' experiences of an outreach interprofessional mental health service for nursing homes: a qualitative descriptive study

Accessible Summary What is known on the subject? Treatment and mental health care in familiar environments are beneficial for older people experiencing mental health issues. But there are not enough qualified and specialized nurses who can meet the complex needs of nursing home residents experiencing mental health issues. The University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Switzerland, established an outreach interprofessional mental health service to foster the care for residents experiencing mental health issues in nursing homes. Based on existing studies, little can be said about whether nurses in nursing homes find these types of services helpful. What does this paper add to existing knowledge? Nurses in nursing homes caring for residents experiencing mental health issues felt relieved by having inclusive support from the interprofessional mental health service. Nurses appreciated the mental health team and felt accompanied and more confident in their daily work. Results showed that nurses wanted to be included in the care and treatment processes and to work as partners on an equal footing with the mental health team. What are the implications for practice? Outreach interprofessional mental health services for nursing homes should take into account nurses' views and professional experience, and value and respect their role as nurses. Outreach interprofessional mental health services for nursing homes should offer further training in psychiatric nursing, include an accessible contact person in the team, and develop clear processes and responsibilities. Introduction Outreach interprofessional mental health services for nursing homes can increase the quality of care for residents experiencing mental health issues but research on how nurses in nursing homes experience such a service is lacking worldwide. Aim To describe how nurses experience the involvement of an outreach interprofessional mental health team in the care for older people experiencing mental health issues in nursing homes and to identify barriers to and facilitators of interprofessional collaboration. Method Qualitative descriptive analysis based on 13 semi-structured interviews. Framework analysis and complex adaptive systems theory were applied. Results One core theme with two main categories: Nurses experienced relief from burden through inclusive support provided by the mental health team. Main categories were feeling accompanied and confident as a nurse and partnership-based collaboration. Discussion Results showed for the first time that nurses felt supported by the mental health team and were encouraged to find new ways of coping with challenging situations. Implications for Practice To empower nurses, mental health teams should take into account nurses' perceptions in the treatment process, value and respect their role as nurses, transfer knowledge in both formal and informal settings, establish a steady and reliable contact person, and define processes and responsibilities.