Development of a Patient Education Pathway for a Psychiatric Nurse Consult Service.

Purpose: The current quality improvement project aimed to improve functionality within a psychiatric consult liaison nurse (PCLN) service through implementation of an educational pathway.

Method: Pre- and postintervention qualitative interviews were conducted with eight PCLNs, and themes were generated via content analysis. Quantitative surveys were also conducted, and data were analyzed using means and standard deviations. Paired t tests were used to test for significance.

Results: Qualitative results identified five themes: Flexibility vs. Uncertainty, Ambiguity vs. Direction, Structured vs. Unstructured Education, Efficiency/Time Management, and Communication. Quantitative surveys indicated the intervention improved the consistency of the psychoeducation provided (p = 0.03) and enhanced the structure of the PCLN role (p = 0.04). The intervention did not significantly improve communication between PCLNs and medical-surgical nurses.

Conclusion: Qualitative findings showed that the educational pathway improved efficiency, time management, and communication, and quantitative findings showed it can help with consistency and structure to the role. Implementing an educational pathway for PCLNs is feasible and effective for health care systems. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(xx), xx-xx.].