Assessment of knowledge of Mental Health Act among nurses
Journal Title: Pielęgniarstwo XXI wieku - Year 2015, Vol 14, Issue 1
Abstract
Introduction. The Mental Health Act of August 19, 1994 provides that all patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital have certain rights, like proceedings before the court of protection, secrecy protection and penal provisions. It also provides that the staff has a right to use direct coercion, can manage the individuals admitted to hospital with or without their consent. Aim. An attempt to assess the level of nurses’ knowledge about the provisions of the Mental Health Act by educational degree. Material and methods. The study enrolled a total of 136 nurses with a length of service of a min. of 8 and max. of 40 years (mean: 21 years, SD=3.677). 41 nurses had a higher education degree and 59 nurses had a secondary school degree. A method of diagnostic survey, voluntary and anonymous questionnaire study, a questionnaire developed by the authors comprising 29 questions were used in the study. Statistical analysis was performed using Statsoft STATISTICA 10.0 licensed to Warsaw Medical University, Mann-Whitney U test, p<0.05. Results. 97% of the nurses reported that the knowledge of the Mental Health Act is necessary in nursing practice (p=NS), but only 65% of the total knew its effective date (p=NS). As many as 90% of the respondents said that they were familiar with the tasks of the Ombudsman for Patients’ Rights, but only 50% of the total knew that the Ombudsman has the right to participate in providing health benefits (p=NS). Conclusion. 1. The nurses’ knowledge regarding the provisions of the Mental Health Act was insufficient and required supplementation. 2. The highest level of knowledge of the study group of nurses concerned the following issues: patients’ rights, admission rules, use of direct coercion, and protection of patients’ rights. The issues associated with participation of the Ombudsman in providing health benefits and hospital discharge against advice caused the greatest problems. 3. No correlation was found between the nurses’ educational degree and knowledge of the provisions of the Mental Health Act.
Authors and Affiliations
Marzena Wójcik, Jarosława Belowska, Aleksander Zarzeka, Grzegorz Stachacz, Mariusz Panczyk, Joanna Gotlib
Keywords
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- EP ID EP138907
- DOI 10.12923/p21w-2015-1/03
- Views 56
- Downloads 0
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