Inpatient Psychiatric Nursing ─ Clinical Strategies & Practical Interventions

Psychiatric nursing practice has changed dramatically over the past decades. The patients who now meet the level of care standards for an acute care setting have to be very ill and typically exhibit considerable behavioral impairments and multiple safety issues. This handbook for psychiatric nurses and nursing students reflects these changes and focuses on four particularly challenging aspects of acute psychiatric nursing practice: keeping the patient safe, stabilizing symptoms, promoting engagement in treatment, and discharge planning. In a systematic, easy-to-access format, the book offers proven, clinically useful interventions designed to modify and manage disruptive patient behavior. Also included is a chapter on overcoming one's own barriers to effective nursing in the difficult psychiatric environment.