{"title":"Nurses' Experiences of Mental Health Care in the Emergency Department: An Integrative Review.","authors":"Caitlin Kent, Elizabeth Halcomb","doi":"10.1111/jocn.70116","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>To critically synthesise current literature on the nurses' experiences in providing care for people presenting with mental health issues to the emergency department (ED).</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Mental health-related presentations to EDs are increasing. Understanding nurses' experiences of providing care for this patient group will inform future strategies to enhance the care delivered in the ED.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection were searched from 2009 to 2024 for peer-reviewed qualitative papers exploring emergency nurses' perspectives of providing care for people with mental health issues, published in the English language. Quality was appraised using the JBI Critical Appraisal tool. This review follows the PRISMA checklist for reporting.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nine papers, reporting eight studies, were included in the review. Three themes emerged: attitudes towards mental illness, education limitations impacting confidence and structural barriers impacting care quality. The review reveals a disconnect between nurses' compassionate intentions and barriers such as unconscious stigma and prioritising physical illness over mental health concerns. The findings highlight the need for targeted mental health education to enhance ED nurses' confidence and competence. Inadequate local mental health policies also impact care delivery, contributing to suboptimal patient outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This review provides a deeper understanding of ED nurses' experiences of caring for people with mental health issues. A need to implement a multifaceted approach to mental health education, clear policies to guide care delivery and systems that promote prioritisation of patients presenting with mental health concerns was identified.</p><p><strong>Implications for the profession and/or patient care: </strong>Insights into nurses' experiences can shape future ED practices and enhance outcomes for patients. Building ED nurses' capacity to deliver high-quality mental health care is critical.</p><p><strong>Patient or public consultation: </strong>As a review paper, no patient or public consultation took place.</p>","PeriodicalId":50236,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Nursing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Clinical Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.70116","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aim: To critically synthesise current literature on the nurses' experiences in providing care for people presenting with mental health issues to the emergency department (ED).
Background: Mental health-related presentations to EDs are increasing. Understanding nurses' experiences of providing care for this patient group will inform future strategies to enhance the care delivered in the ED.
Methods: CINAHL, MEDLINE, APA PsycInfo and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection were searched from 2009 to 2024 for peer-reviewed qualitative papers exploring emergency nurses' perspectives of providing care for people with mental health issues, published in the English language. Quality was appraised using the JBI Critical Appraisal tool. This review follows the PRISMA checklist for reporting.
Results: Nine papers, reporting eight studies, were included in the review. Three themes emerged: attitudes towards mental illness, education limitations impacting confidence and structural barriers impacting care quality. The review reveals a disconnect between nurses' compassionate intentions and barriers such as unconscious stigma and prioritising physical illness over mental health concerns. The findings highlight the need for targeted mental health education to enhance ED nurses' confidence and competence. Inadequate local mental health policies also impact care delivery, contributing to suboptimal patient outcomes.
Conclusion: This review provides a deeper understanding of ED nurses' experiences of caring for people with mental health issues. A need to implement a multifaceted approach to mental health education, clear policies to guide care delivery and systems that promote prioritisation of patients presenting with mental health concerns was identified.
Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Insights into nurses' experiences can shape future ED practices and enhance outcomes for patients. Building ED nurses' capacity to deliver high-quality mental health care is critical.
Patient or public consultation: As a review paper, no patient or public consultation took place.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Clinical Nursing (JCN) is an international, peer reviewed, scientific journal that seeks to promote the development and exchange of knowledge that is directly relevant to all spheres of nursing practice. The primary aim is to promote a high standard of clinically related scholarship which advances and supports the practice and discipline of nursing. The Journal also aims to promote the international exchange of ideas and experience that draws from the different cultures in which practice takes place. Further, JCN seeks to enrich insight into clinical need and the implications for nursing intervention and models of service delivery. Emphasis is placed on promoting critical debate on the art and science of nursing practice.
JCN is essential reading for anyone involved in nursing practice, whether clinicians, researchers, educators, managers, policy makers, or students. The development of clinical practice and the changing patterns of inter-professional working are also central to JCN''s scope of interest. Contributions are welcomed from other health professionals on issues that have a direct impact on nursing practice.
We publish high quality papers from across the methodological spectrum that make an important and novel contribution to the field of clinical nursing (regardless of where care is provided), and which demonstrate clinical application and international relevance.
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