A comparative study of antipsychotic medication taking in people with schizophrenia
- Authors: McCann, Terence , Deans, Cecil , Clark, Eileen , Lu, Sai
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing Vol. 17, no. 6 (2008), p. 428-438
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Medication adherence is problematic in all chronic illnesses, none more so than in individuals with schizophrenia. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the factors that impacted upon antipsychotic medication taking in people with schizophrenia living in regional-rural and metropolitan Victoria, Australia, and to assess if differences existed between these two groups of participants in the factors that affected medication taking. The Factors Influencing Neuroleptic Medication Taking Scale was used with a non-probability survey sample of 81 people with schizophrenia. Ethics approval was given by university and hospital ethics committees. The results showed, overall, that there were no significant differences between the sets of participants in several demographic characteristics, insight, stigma, substance abuse, types of antipsychotic medications, significant others' support, and access to case managers and general practitioners. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups concerning living circumstances, involvement in religious/spiritual activities, perceived impact of medication side-effects, and access to psychiatrists. However, there were no statistically significant relationships between these factors and medication omission. The implications of the findings for consumers, mental health nurse case managers, families, mental health service provision, and further research, are considered. © 2008 The Authors.
University and service sector collaboration for undergraduate psychiatric nursing education
- Authors: Deans, Cecil , Arnold, Sue-Anne , Munday, Jo
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Mental Health Nursing Vol. 13, no. 1 (2004), p. 61-66
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Collaboration between the education and service providers assists with the development of enhanced clinical and educational experiences for students. This paper describes an innovative collaborative program developed by the School of Nursing, University of Ballarat and Grampians Psychiatric Services, Ballarat Health Services. Mental health clinical nursing staff are the student off-campus clinical supervisors and on-campus lecturers, supported by two jointly appointed co-ordinators. Program evaluation reveals that this collaborative approach assists in the provision of a supportive learning environment, increases enthusiasm about psychiatric nursing and draws on relevant mental health nursing skills in the university and service sectors.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000853