ICU nurses' perceptions of patients with co-morbid mental health disorders: An integrative review.
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All Authors
Reece, Angela
Baker, John
LTHT Author
LTHT Department
Non Medic
Publication Date
2025
Item Type
Conference Abstract
Language
Subject
Subject Headings
Abstract
Background The prevalence of patients with a MH disorder in intensive care units (ICU) is roughly twice that of other secondary care areas (King et al., 2020). This patient group can be disenfranchised from the healthcare system due to stigma. Nurses’ perceptions of MH patients in the Emergency Department have been studied (Sacre et al., 2022), and were associated with avoidance, misconceptions, and perceived lack of skills to manage this patient group, however, it was unclear if similar issues were present amongst ICU nurses. AIM This review aimed to explore how nurses perceive ICU patients with a co-morbid MH disorder. METHODS An integrative review was undertaken in March 2024 using CINAHL, Medline, Embase, and PsychInfo. Papers were included if they focused on nurses’ perceptions of adult ICU patients with a co-morbid mental health disorder. 620 studies identified following duplicate removal. RESULTS Eight studies were selected for inclusion. Four themes were identified 1) ‘Those types of patient’, 2) Patients with mental health disorders are all violent and aggressive, 3) ‘They’ don’t belong in ICU, and 4) ‘They’ need someone with special skills. The themes explored issues of preconceptions, stigma, and ‘othering’. CONCLUSION. There was a paucity of research on this topic and it was limited in geographical area. The findings suggest that stigma, misconceptions, a lack of support, and a perceived lack of skills, might lead nurses to deliver sub-optimal care to this vulnerable patient group. Education and on-going support are required to reduce misconceptions and bias and increase nurses’ confidence when managing patients with co-morbid MH disorders.