Nurses Welfare as a focus on Self-care
Background Information
Nurses form an integral part of the professional care spectrum. The spectrum of care professionals is one that has, for a long time, been perceived as secondary in the healthcare domain. However, modern nursing and care regimes have brought about a paradigm shift; nurses are being embraced as critical pillars of the healthcare sector, an aspect revolutionizing the care sector. Mills, Wand, & Fraser (2018) explain that nursing is among the most underrated or uncelebrated professions of the medical and healthcare sector. While for many, nurses are perceived to be caregivers but unknown to some as well are the critical roles nurses play as intermediaries between medical practitioners and patients.
In 2016, the International Nursing Society (INS) produced a documentary covering the various nursing services conducted by practicing nurses all over the world (Mills, Wand, & Fraser, 2018). The film served as an eye-opener to the world; nurses continuously put their lives at risk for the prime interest and welfare of patients. Critically, it becomes of prime interest to be apparent to the fact that the nursing profession entails a significant amount of determination and sacrifice. This places to perspective the kind of sacrifices specialty nurses such as those working in mental health institutions, neurology-oncology units and palliative care have to remit as demanded by their oath of service.
Siappo et al. (2016) denote Florence Nightingale’s concept of nursing as being a calling and a profession that needs self-sacrifice. True to these sentiments, nurses worldwide diligently demonstrate the act of self-sacrifice in their service delivery. However, with the various nursing specializations comes the aspect of risk and difficultly exposure. According to Thieman (2018), the risk and difficulty degree a primary care nurse experiences is not similar to the one an advanced critical care nurse undergoes. The aspect of risk and degree of difficulty notwithstanding, nurses generally have a high-risk task as regards the care service delivery spectrum (Anders, 2018). The International Nursing Society remains one of the main lobby unions placing justification on the need to realize adequate welfare for nursing professionals.
Nurses Welfare as a focus on Self-care
The issue of self-care and care for nurses has been an area widely appraised and called upon by relevant nursing welfare agencies. The service delivery of any nursing professional depends on their execution and impact during care provision. Thieman (2018) enumerates that for any nursing professional to be effective in caregiving services, they must have a good self-care routine or intervention.
Self-care entails a wide range of personal psychological and physical care actions meant to maintain the healthy mental and physical profile of a person. In nursing, self-care plays a key role in promoting nursing effectiveness and service delivery. Yoga for Self-Care and Burnout Prevention Among Nurses (2015), argues that self-care among nurses is a requisite fundamental consideration that needs to be achieved by all medical and nursing professionals. As explained in the preceding segment of this report, nurses are actively involved in high risk and otherwise serious difficulty degree care interventions. Thieman (2018) justifies with the exposure of nurses to high risk and stressful scenarios, the psychological or mental welfare of nurses is an aspect of critical focus.
According to Richards (2013), a health risk assessment survey done by the American Nurses Association places an estimated 68% of nursing professionals to be considerate of patient welfare than their own welfare. Nurses undergo training regimes that teach them on patient care, thereby inculcating the need to prioritize patient welfare over their own. The American Nurses Association (ANA) postulates the value of prioritizing nurse self-care actions as a way of promoting service delivery. Alexander (2013).further reiterates the relevance of self-care among nurses justifying nurses optimal self-care guarantee ensures that patients receive care at the highest levels, and nurses benefit from a better quality of life.
The aspect of self-care is not a single factor entity but generally involves the holistic welfare of a person. Therefore, it is rational to argue that a nurse needs a holistic self-care plan. The plan should be mindful of the mental, physical, and economic welfare of a contemporary nurse. According to Shinya et al. (2020), self-care among nurses is only worthwhile if it addresses the integral pertinent parameters that directly affect service delivery and effectiveness of a nurse. Nurses working in palliative and mental care specialty wings of nursing care warrant among the special group of caregivers in the professional nursing spectrum.
Purpose Statement
Self-care among nurses is fundamental and must be adhered to by all nursing professionals. Nursing service delivery, patient relationship,and care provision are the main duties and actions assigned to nurses. For purposes of ensuring that a nurse delivers on expected duties efficiently, All nurses must have a self-care plan and program. In the interest of mental health, self-care among nurses warrants as an essential consideration that needs to be enforced.
According to the Self-care training course for practice nurses: The journal for nurses in general practice the journal for nurses in general practice (2010) nurses face a lot of pressure in their lines of duties and, in most circumstances, are misunderstood. The pressure from care activities, patients, and trauma-creating high-risk scenarios in the care setting environment makes nurses experience a lot of stress (Happell et al. 2013). Relevantly, it is logical for caregivers to prioritize their self-care and welfare for not just their personal benefit but also the benefit of patients (Ganiah et al, 2017). Evidence-based studies show that nurses who have a good mental health profile demonstrate effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery.
Project Aim
The configuration of this project aims at advancing practice improvement with focus on self-care among nurses working in mental health institutions. The project bases on self-care demand and impact among nurses working in various speciality arms of caregiving. This practice improvement review goes ahead to provide for evidence-based initiatives of self-care among nurses meant to ensure mental health. Additionally, a proposed self-care approach for nurses is provided to be utilized in mental health institutions.
The outcomes generated from this project will form the basis of advanced healthcare and nursing management regimes to enforce mandatory self-care initiatives for nurses and medics. As denoted by Kamara et al. (2017), a knowledge gap exists among nurses on the importance of self-care as a way of improving productivity, reduction on negligence and error cases, and general service provision. This practice improvement project provides for realistic measures that can be adopted by nurses to ensure better self-care approaches.
As an appraisal point of concern, this project focuses on the impact on mental health care nurses and the degrade in service delivery among patients (Corcoran, 2020). Additionally, this project highlights the stigmatization of nurses involved in specialized care, for example, mental health care and other palliative forms of care.
Objectives
The primary objective of the project was to:
- Investigate why self-care is so important for the nurse especially in mental health specialties
- Highlight the Orem’s Self-care theory and its applicability to mental health nurses
- Formulate a beast fit self-care regime for nurses working in mental health institutions
- Mitigate nursing performance issues tied to self-care prospects
Methodology
Research Approach
A secondary research approach is used in this study with a review of several literature and material highlighting the study focus and problem of interest. According to Higgins (2017), a systematic research approach is one that adopts and follows a particular experiential review of factual and already-established outcomes. Confirmedly, an assortment of study focuses, and results are evaluated and delved into the best and most ideal outcomes.
A detailed writing search technique demonstrated basic in concocting the most applicable investigations for examination and audit. Two major databases were used in the process for reasons for thinking of an elaborative and all around created writing foundation. The databases included Google Scholar and CINAHL Plus. The two databases gave a wide scope of data significant to the examination. The databases expressly gave writing on improving self-care among nurses and the interest of mental health among nursing professionals.
Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
Rationality suggests the activity of associate degree inclusion and exclusion criteria that conjointly ensures the complete activity of parameters that are essential in an exceedingly study, whereas eliminating people who are not of essentialness. Relevantly, research prospects from scientific approaches ascertain the employment of the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome tool (PICO). The governing question applied within the PICO tool was; How does self-care among mental health care nurses improve care delivery?
The initial inclusion and exclusion criteria chosen articulated the review of the relevancy of the chosen sources of literature. Additionally, explicitly sources printed in the period of the last ten (10) years were utilized. The explanation for this choice scope was to confirm valid and courant data. Based on language, English-written sources formed the main literature utilized.
Thirdly, the character and kind of publication conjointly shaped a constant quantity purpose of interest; solely peer-reviewed sources were utilized in the study with the exclusion of web-based searches on websites, books, and none-peer reviewed sources. In conclusion, no constraint was set as respects to the geographic area of the examination or the nation of the distribution since the investigation expected results do not completely adjust to a particular geological base.
Prisma
Studies obtained from EbscoHost Database
n=25
Chart
Studies obtained from
ProQuest databases
n=42
Number of Articles Screened = 60
Final Studies included
(n =9)
Full-text studies that were examined for eligibility
(n = 29)
Full-text articles that did not Meet to Criteria for Inclusion
(n =10)
Non-full Studies excluded n=31
Remaining records after removing Duplicates
n=60
The procedure of information extraction is approved in the PRISMA table above. Information extraction followed four fundamental steps: Identification, screening, surveying for qualification, and last consideration. In the principal organize a sum of 42 and 25 articles derived from ProQuest and EbscoHost databases, respectively. Accordingly, an aggregate of 70 articles were found. The consequent stage involved screening as a qualification test measure whereby seven sources were discovered to be copies of one another. The end procedure left 60 articles of pith and qualification to be utilized. A further distinguishing proof and screening process were conveyed dependent on the completion of articles present; 31 articles out of the remnant 60 were seen as edited compositions just thus, they were wiped out. All in all, this filled in as the prohibition criteria as applied and featured in the PRISMA table. From the prohibition criteria from screening and denotation, 29 articles were left and further reviewed; 19 articles were expelled as they did not meet the necessary incorporation parameters accordingly,leaving a sum of 10 articles that were utilized in the examination (n=10).
Limitations
There are fundamental contemplations that need not be disregarded in auxiliary research. The main faults of any subjective qualitative research incorporate the missing factual evidence of data limiting the extent of investigation that can be produced thereof. While correlation is conceivable, the utilization of essential sources in optional research is dependent upon duplication, in this manner, expanding the room inferable from the exchange impact of literature.
Ethical Considerations in Gathering, Storing, Analysing and Reporting Data
The study took into account all the morals of information use. Since it depended on essential sources conducted beforehand, the scientist guaranteed that all the first work the examination depends on was recognized through references and referencing. Furthermore, the assent of the members in the essential underlying research was properly guaranteed as well. In conclusion, moral contemplations were seen in all procedures of the exploration including exact social occasion, examination and announcing of the information.
Chapter 3: Results
A total of 9 studies (n=9) were disparagingly reviewed. The researcher depended on a thematic analysis. Consequently, the findings infer findings and outcomes from the authors presented based on the identified main themes across all the articles.
Self-care and role in the Professional Sector
According to Goncher et al. (2013), Self-care infers and means adhering to behaviours that elude the effects of emotional and physical stressors. Primarily, self-care involves routine practices ideally considered as healthy living practices such as exercising, nutritious eating, proper sleeping patterns, exercising, and generally maintaining a good mental and physical health profile. Self-care denotes taking part in significant nontoxic associations with other people who bolster systemic physical and mental welfare.
Chamberlain-Salaun et al. (2011) further explain that self-care means prioritizing your physical and mental interest and being apparent to when we feel something is amiss. Additionally, fundamental to self-care is figuring out how to self-mitigate or quiet our physical and enthusiastic pain. To completely comprehend the ideas of self-care, it becomes essential to realize that as we exert ourselves in the professional sector, stress and potential risk trauma from different lines of work can cause physical and mental unrest.
Elissen et al. (2013) report on the Orem theory of self-care that puts to perspective the essence of self-care in the professional sector. Notably, in the conceptualization of a framework for nursing practice, Orem identified and defined self-care as “the practice of activities that individuals initiate and perform on their own behalf in maintaining life, health, and well-being“. The definition by Orem ,through his conceptualized nursing practice welfare theory, closely parallels a similar discussion on the influence of coping and the definition of coping provided by (Ademe, Aga, & Gela, 2019).
Orem postulates that persons exist in an intrinsic relationship with their environment and use evaluation and assessment to determinedly reach a desirable course of action for purposes of achieving a set goal. According to Orem’s postulation, health scenarios in which nursing and medical professional work in influences behaviour (Awaliyah et al, 2018). Therefore, devoid of self-care, professionals working in stressful or high risk impacting environments are likely to experience mental health issues that directly affect their physical and psychological well-being.
Figure 1: Orem’s Self-care theory of Nursing
Awaliyah et al. (2018) highlights that Orem’s Self-care Deficit Theory of Nursing (S-CDTN) establishes as a nursing hypothesis broadly applied practically and in training and research fields. A deeper investigation into the concept of self-care unveils that it is an area widely reviewed and searched thereby enforcing its relevance. Applying the build of self-care to endeavours to logically appreciate and comprehend the fundamental value of the welfare and wellbeing of nursing professionals.
Awaliyah et al. (2018) enumerate that occupational strain on nurses and their versatile reaction designs gives an especially helpful similarity to the true picture of self-care importance and role in the professional sector. Moreover, basing on the interventions articulated to the Orem’s theory, it is valid to support that a lot of personal mindfulness is essential in actualizing self-care. It must be understood that self-care does not negate the fact that you are equally conscious of the welfare of others; for you to take care of others, you must take care of yourself first.
Donkor & Andrews (2011) reiterates the importance of welfare by calling for understanding welfare role in professional life. it is relevant to assess self-care as the capacity of the individual to adapt to impacts, thereby relating to a professional’s reaction to work strain. While naturally advanced methodologies to improve self-maintenance are fundamental, self-will also plays an important role; it is essential that a professional understand and appreciates his welfare as being integral to his efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.
Influence of the Work Environment on Health
According to AL- Hadrawi (2017), an extensive hub of evidence-based information exists concerning justification in the workplace presents a variety of impact on the wellbeing of nurses within the care setting. In an investigative study commissioned by the American Nurses Association (2015), at least 40% nurses reported work inflicted stress issues be it physical or mental. AL- Hadrawi (2017) equally reports that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014) accounts that nursing professionals are among the most critical or special group of professionals faced with several challenges at work. Essentially, the typical nursing environment is one that involves several high-risk and physically tasking activities. McCullagh, & Berry (2015). confirms that nurses care for patients, manage hospital activities, and ultimately have to be the first line of care providers, also known as emergency response professionals.
Unruh & Zhang (2014) annotates that a knowledge gap exists on the full impact imposed by work environment scenarios in nursing. Notably, few investigations explore the impact of nursing stress and mental health among nurses, but limited studies have gone ahead to enumerate mental health status among nurses and the nursing regimes applicable in modern day-care. Basing on the logic of self-care, nursing professionals focus so much on the care of patients that a significant number ends up ignoring the relevance of taking care of themselves.
Challenges faced by Nurses in mental healthcare Sector
The weight of psychological wellness issues on wellbeing and profitability has for quite some time, elicited little or not thought among concerned parties. According to Chamberlain-Salaun et al. (2011), the United Kingdom Department of Health and the Confederation of British Industry estimate that 15-30% of labourers at some point in their service tenure end up experiencing psychological wellness issues. As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), emotional wellness issues are the main source of predicament affecting nurses and doctors. The mental healthcare sector is one that bears a significant amount of stress; dealing with mentally ill patients requires mental care nurses to face a wide range of challenges.
The European Mental Health Agenda of the European Union (EU) has perceived that nurses working in mental health institutions and settings are exposed to significantly challenging environments. The environments impact the psychological profile of nurses; if left unchecked as is mostly the case, nurses experience mental health issues such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD), anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is,therefore, imperative that self-care plans and measures are put in place to ensure nurses are safeguarded from the challenges derived from their working environments.
According to AL- Hadrawi (2017), the assessment of emotional wellness is an aspect that must form a critical part of nursing professional welfare. Most professional welfare tends to focus more on the aspect of job satisfaction and end up eluding from the critical underlying issues. Notably, the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribes assessing emotional well-being perspectives and perceives the need to recognize the mental health issues nurses face. It is important to appreciate that while nurses take up oaths of service, compelling them to offer relentless service to patients, it does not mean that their own welfare comes secondary. Unfortunately, nurses working in mental health institutions face a significant amount of work-related stress; if left unchecked, such are the premises of poor well-being among nurses.
Donkor & Andrews (2011) elaborates that there is a little conversation regarding nursing welfare with more focus being placed on nursing service delivery; nurses welfare needs to be prioritized as fundamental. Another avocation tied to mental health care examination places perspective on the care expert classifications with regards to wellbeing. Concernedly, a review of the care providers’ spectrum shows that nursing experts comprise professionals with a significant amount being subject to mishaps and medical issues.
The American Nursing Society (ANS) enumerates that care experts, and particularly mental nursing practitioners, are presented to higher more demanding work demands and troublesome working conditions that produce pressure, excessive strain, and physical and mental impact. Cumulatively, nurses working in mental health facilities and dealing with psychiatric patients are among care-givers greatly stigmatized for their nature of work.
McCullagh & Berry (2015) confirms that at least one in every five nurses experience some form of mental health issue during their service tenure. The degree of frequency of mental health issues among nurses shows an exponential increase in nursing professionals suffering from mental health-related issues. It becomes more apparent the increase in cases of nursing negligence stemming from nurses suffering from poor self-care regimes; nurse’s self-care is critical in not just nurse’s welfare but as well as patient care and service efficiency.
Nurses welfare and patient Experiences
According to Donkor & Andrews (2011), from a global perspective, the evaluation of healthcare depends on the response from patients as an index review of quality and service delivery levels. Moreover, in nations throughout the world, expertise encounters with patients form essential review points as a means of acquiring statistics about the conveyance and nature of social insurance among nurses and patients. The manner in which nurses conduct their daily routine work has further been modelled to infer the correlation between nurses self-care levels and patient care. However, Unruh, & Zhang (2014) explains that the measure of patient satisfaction does not entirely enumerate the true degree of service delivery and patient satisfaction as it negates the holistic consideration of care arrangement.
Markedly, in the United States and numerous European nations, evaluating patient satisfaction ties to nursing outcomes more than medical inputs. Elissen et al (2013) explain that evidence-based clinical surveys show that a nurse spends at least five times more the duration a doctor spends with a patient. Relevantly, it is logical that in measuring healthcare efficiency, nursing interventions must form a greater percentage of review focus points. As such, the nurse to patient relationship forms a fundamental aspect of healthcare success.
Awaliyah et al. (2018) establishe that evaluating and understanding encounters of the nature of care gives factual-based data about the genuine encounters between nurses and patients. While it is possible to realize inferential information from nurse-patient relationship, deeper appraisal of this aspect uncovers which quality perspectives patients view as most significant. Numerous examinations conducted offer insights to nurse-patient relationship by dissecting what patients consider fundamental inside medicinal services. Unruh & Zhang (2014) reports on the findings of the Picker Institute Europe that listed the main eight viewpoints patients note;
- Inclusion in choices and regard for inclinations,
- Clear, understandable data for self-care,
- Passionate help, compassion and regard
- Quick access to dependable wellbeing exhortation,
- Compelling treatment
- Thoughtfulness regarding physical and ecological requirements
- Association of, and support for, family and carers
- Congruity of care and smooth advances
Unruh & Zhang (2014) express that since nurses invest a great deal of energy with patients, nurses influence a significant amount of encounters of care. Research indicates that the nursing workplace is a deciding component of the healthcare system success. Apparently, patients and nurse encounter determine the patient care response; when patients experience positive encounters of nursing care, nurses similarly experience a decent and functional workplace. A good and stable workplace is one that collectively offers the patient the opportunity to recuperate the best way possible while also offering the nurse a sound environment to execute their work demands and not negatively impact their physical and mental welfare.
McCullagh & Berry (2015) annotates that sound workplace cultivates the applicability of setting up self-care regimes where nurses can undergo self-care training and intervention checks to ensure their mental and physical welfare as they directly impact on patients. While most care management regimes call for selfless service from nurses, it is imperative that nurses are also made to encounter and realize peace of mind to conduct their work effectively. McCullagh & Berry (2015) explores the essence of workplace environment serenity for nurses and the close correlation it bears to the mental health of nurses. The specialists utilized a grounded hypothesis to appraise and formulate eight elements that characterize the nursing workplace and the impact on the nature of nursing care. From the point of view of nurses, the accompanying eight elements are significant in a workplace to the arrangement of effective nursing care;
Table 1: A listing of the eight main welfare perspective nurses prefer
Nurses Perspective Points of Improving Healthcare Delivery
1
Clinically competent nurses
2
Adequate staffing
3
Good nurse–physician relationships
4
Autonomous nursing practice
5
Nurse manager support
6
Control over nursing practice
7
Support for education
8
A culture that values concern for patients
Institutional Role in Individual and Group Care
Mental health institutions have a role to play in promoting and ensuring self-care among nurses in mental care setting; their roles encompass both individual and group -based self-care considerations. According to McCullagh, & Berry (2015), service delivery, work demand adherence and efficiency can only be attained if the care providers tasked with various roles are effectively guaranteed of their welfare. This notwithstanding, it is not absolutely the burden of the institution or facility management to ensure nurse self-care,but also nurses are equally burdened with ensuring they adhere to self-care regimes both art individual and group care level.
Mental care institutions are, therefore mandated to come up with mandatory self-care regimes that provide for mental care nurses to realize self-care. Donkor & Andrews (2011) advise that it is the role of care institutions to provide nurses with leave days to allow for effective rest and also prevent overworking, as is mostly the case. Critically, care managements need to enforce a suitable nurse to patient ratio exists by employing a sufficient number of nurses. Having the recommended nurse to patient ratio means that nurses are not overloaded and overworked, thereby promoting their welfare. Additionally, care institutions need to inculcate the culture of motivation among its nursing workforce to ensure that nurses are well compensated, motivated, and remunerated for their noble services.
Chapter 4: Discussion
Nurses are among the critical care pillars of the healthcare sector. As enumerated by the findings of Goncher et al. (2013), anxiety and depressive disorders are known as common mental disorders (CMD) that show high prevalence among nurses in high risk or demanding hospital setting. From the review of nursing welfare literature, the aspects of CMD, substance misuse, working environment hostility, stress, and burnout (basic antecedents of CMD) generalize as main issues related to nursing welfare.
Burnout and low imperativeness have consistently been accounted for among care providers. Imperativeness or vitality defines as a feeling of general prosperity, hopefulness and thriving, and can be considered to speak to the far edge of a range to pressure and burnout. Low imperativeness and CMDs may result from an assortment of work environment, hierarchical and singular components but generally collectively affect the mental and physical wellbeing of nurses (Ademe, Aga & Gela, 2019). Such environments are those that incorporate workplaces where medical attendants need independence and caution, and where access to help and learning is constrained. In such constricted working conditions, significant levels of high weariness and burnout occur.
Evidence-based studies and assessment of nursing welfare show that mental health well-being repercussions arise in the event nurses are exposed to high risk and strenuous work environment. The mental health of a nurse affects his/her work execution abilities by impacting on aspect of decision making, reflex,and responsiveness to patient care oriented scenarios.
Past the significance of nurses, in the nursing workforce, the aspect of low vitality and high CMDs bear the cost on patient care services and as such, must be fully considered in ensuring the welfare of nurses with regards to improving their mental health. Nursing management experts have produced factual-based data on the high prevalence rate of mental disorders affecting nurses (Anders, 2018). Critically, owing to the impact posed by CMDs among nurses, aspects such as nursing efficiency, non-attendance, and presentism (going to work while burnt out) have equally shown high notations among mentally ill nurses. Consequently, the resultant impact of degraded mental health of nurses includes poor work execution, diminished profitability, work environment blunders, diminished nature of patient consideration, and low degrees of patient fulfillment/satisfaction.
It is important that healthcare managers comprehend issues identifying with emotional well-being, prosperity, and essentialness in the nursing workforce to upgrade execution and forestall any avenues or sources of mental health welfare. A significant advance in mitigating and addressing low imperativeness and CMDs is early recognition and identification of unfortunate practices that directly jeopardize the wellbeing of a person.
Notably, early identification of possible mental health issues or CMDs provides for his mediations to be created to advance mental prosperity, thriving, and imperativeness in the nursing workforce. Championing for best-fit nursing self-care practices are ideal in providing mitigation to CMDs and infringement on patient care.
As a matter of concern, stigma remains an avid aspect affecting nurses in mental health care setting. Unfortunately, albeit the advancement of emotional well-being administrations in numerous nations, nurses working in various medicinal services may, at one point in their service tenure face stigma. Nurses facing stigma end up developing psychological instability and resultantly develop CMDs; ailments that render them ineffective in their service delivery.
Best Fit Nursing self-care regime
Conclusion
Figure 2: A proposed Best Fit Nursing Self-care regime
Basing on the assessment of needs presented by nurses in the mental health institutions, the parameters highlighted in Figure 2 elaborate a best fit nursing self-care regime. The regime is conscious of the need to promote mental, emotional and physical as a way of mitigating stress related impacts derived from the nursing workplace (McCullagh, & Berry, 2015).
Conclusion
Summary
The focus of the study was to investigate, evaluate and review the aspect of self-care among nurses in mental health care settings and the stigmatization rendered both from nurses and on nurses. The study utilised a systematic literature review framework that explicitly confined the study to the set objectives, aims and finding rationales to the hypotheses and questions being investigated.
Deductions
In summation, nurses are an indispensable part of the nursing and care workforce and it is necessary for their welfare to be considered at all times. The guarantee of an effective nursing mental health self-care regime is the assurance of effective service delivery by nurses. From the findings of this study, it is justified to suggest that while consider themselves to be care givers, it is rationale to admit that they themselves also need care owing to the scenarios and working environments they are placed in. Generally, it is appealing and imperative for nurses to be mindful of their own welfare and purpose to have a self-care program; a self-care program will ensure that nurses prioritize the need to be mindful of their mental and physical wellbeing.
With consciousness to the fact that the average age of nurses working in the care setting continues to narrow or decline (an aspect showing more young care providers are being recruited), it is fundamental to proliferate self-care training as early as in nursing school. The training of nursing students on the essentiality of self-care is a proactive measure to inculcate the culture of being mindful of one’s mental and physical care during nursing practice. Developing nursing self-care regimes for primary to advanced care nurses forms a critical basis of consideration and future studies. The expenses of supplanting a nurse who departs as a result of falling sick are high impacting with regards to healthcare management.
While nurses must assume liability for their own wellbeing, the nature of nursing work bears the responsibility to employees also, who must equally ensure the right working conditions and environments for nurses to conduct their care provision.
Recommendations
The need to improve on nurse mental health is an aspect of prime consideration if at all effective nursing is to be realized. The impact of diminishing mental healthcare among nurses stems from the nature of work they do and the working scenarios they are exposed to as well. Consequently, it is necessary for more interventions to be developed to advocate for self-care among nurses in the interest of mitigating the impact created from poor mental health of nurses on patient care and personal care.
Mental health institutions need to appreciate the need for self-care regimes and action plans meant to swerve mental care nurses at individual and group car level. While self-care at individual level is not as elaborate as possibly could be, the utilization of comprehensive mandatory group self-care actions can help significantly in mitigating issues related to nurse’s self-care.
Possible Future Research
For purposes of advancing better self-care action plans for nurses, it is necessary that future research prospects highlight and delve into developing better knowledge bases for actualizing mandatory self-care among nursing professionals. Moreover, clinical studies on nurse mental health impact need to be modelled and published for health management action in improving and mitigating nurse’s issues and challenges within the care setting.