Accessible summary What is known on the subject? Compared to the general population, people with mental illness die several years prematurely. The prevalence of chronic physical illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease is higher in people with mental health illnesses, putting them at increased risk of developing skin wounds. The majority of the studies on wound care education and management were carried out in acute care and long‐term care settings. A very few addressed the wound care needs for psychiatric patients and the educational needs of nurses in the mental health setting. What the paper adds to existing knowledge? This study adds to the existing evidence by offering an evidence‐based solution to equip Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurses (PMHNs) with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide high‐quality wound care to patients. When a lack of wound care competency has been identified, it may be worth the effort to provide education and training to psychiatric nurses on wound care management. What are the implications for practice? This project has the potential benefit of healthcare cost savings, which can be further investigated in a future study, for instance, a pilot randomized controlled trial to estimate the parameters for a full‐trial and cost‐effectiveness study. Future mental health nursing practice and research need to focus on finding solutions to help support PMHNs improve their competence in caring for physical illnesses. Abstract IntroductionPeople with mental illnesses are at increased risk of developing skin wounds. A very few studies addressed the wound care needs for psychiatric patients and the educational needs for psychiatric and mental health nurses (PMHNs). AimA wound care education—feasibility and quality improvement project—was implemented to improve wound care competence among nurses on the Seniors' Mental Health Units at a psychiatric hospital. MethodsA total of 36 nurses participated in wound care knowledge education and completed both the pretest and post‐test. Four nurses participated in wound care skills training. ResultsThe post‐intervention mean score increase for wound care knowledge was 5.14 (178%) and for skills was 7(75.7%). The results were statistically significant (p < .001). DiscussionThis study adds to the existing evidence by offering an evidence‐based solution to equip PMHNs with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide high‐quality wound care to patients. Implications for Practice and ResearchFuture mental health nursing practice and research need to focus on finding evidence‐based practical solutions to help support PMHNs improve their ability to care for physical illnesses. A future pilot randomized controlled trial will be needed to estimate the parameters for a full‐trial and cost‐effectiveness study.
N urse practitioners (NPs) in the family and adult-gerontology primary care specialties are expected to provide care for patients from adolescents to end of life. However, many courses often focus on a specific age group or contain learning units organized by individual body systems. It is essential for NP students in these programs to learn the continuity of care across various developmental stages. "Learn With the Aging Patients" provides students with an opportunity to create their patients from adolescents to end of life, using a reverse case study method. Students are given the diagnoses and age brackets of their patients, along with a framework and guiding questions 1 week before class (Supplemental Digital Content, http://links. lww.com/NE/A914). Each hour in class, their patients age approximately 10 to 20 years. With each new age bracket, their patient develops a new condition. Students work in small groups during class, using Zoom breakout rooms. After creating their patients using the guide in the Supplemental Digital Content, every group presents their patient to the class, focusing on the pertinent positive and negative data, diagnostic reasoning, and care plan. Faculty and students then discuss unanswered questions and key takeaways from each case. Students reported that this was an effective learning activity. It helped them see the whole spectrum, hone their diagnostic reasoning skills, and improve their ability to establish an evidence-based plan for common conditions in primary care.
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