Observation is a vital skill of psychiatric nurses in caring patients with mental health
problems.
Introduction
Give background information on observation skills in psychiatric nursing
Inform the scope of your essay
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Background information
Scope of essay
Introduction
In daily life, observation to self, others and the surroundings, could help people to collect
data, and through thinking and processing, these data will be interpreted into useful
information and can be accessed.
Observation is essential in psychiatric nursing,
(in what context)
Although there are some argument against the efficiency of observation
It is no doubt that observation can help psychiatric nurses to handle patient with mental
health problems
The essay is going to discuss the importance of observation for psychiatric nurse in terms of
nursing skill. Before the discussion, some terms will be clarified. The discussion will analyse
observation in several aspects, including how to observe, what can be observe, purposes of
observation, what make observation effective, what if observation absent. At the end of the
essay, a conclusion will be made to summarize the main ideas of the discussion.
Body
This is not a heading.
You should use appropriate heading and subheadings.
Logically and systematically explain and argue why observation is vital in psychiatric
nursing.
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Definition
Definition
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Observation
Observation can be defined as a focused and attentive look at a person or situation of
interest.
Psychiatric Observation: A Skill Worth Developing
By Margot Phaneuf, R.N., Ph. D.
focus or concentrate on a subject in order to analyze its details and to monitor its
evolution.
Psychiatric nursing
Psychiatric nursing is a profession, possessing its unique history, ideology, knowledge, and
skills. It provides services to individuals whose primary health needs are related to mental,
emotional and developmental problems, especially serious disorders and persistent
disabilities. It is committed to the maintenance, promotion and restoration of optimal mental
health for individuals, families, community groups, and society, through the use of
therapeutic relationships and interventions. (NCHK,2012)
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Mental health
Mental health as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2010, is a state of
well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal
stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his
or her community. In this positive sense, mental health is the foundation for individual wellbeing and the effective function of a community.
The positive dimension of mental health is also stressed in WHO's definition of health as
contained in its constitution in 1948: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
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Psychiatric observation
How to observe
Formal observation in psychiatric settings is a widely accepted intervention employed by
psychiatric nurses to reduce the incidence of adverse patient outcomes such as suicides, selfharm, violence and elopements in the psychiatric population.
M. Manna 2010 Effectiveness of formal observation
What can be observe
Through observation,
Facial expression
Gaze
Movement and motor behavior
Posture
Gait
Attitude
Mood
Voice
Personal hygiene or dress
Hair
Behavior
Addictions
Eating disorders
Sleep disorders
Introspective abilities
Patients reaction to his problem
Silence
Energy
Motivation
Purposes of observation
Data collection
Through observation,
We could understand patients situation,
Identifying signs of pathology;
Trying to identify the causes of that pathology;
Detecting and recognizing the patients suffering in order to plan customized interventions;
Following up on the patients reaction to the treatment;
Developing a therapeutic plan;
Monitoring its application and the evolution of the patient.
What makes observation effective
In terms of roles of nurse
What if observation absent
Why observation is important 500
Observation is important in nursing
Help the nurses to make judgments and appropriate decisions or interventions
In general nursing
Nurses are needed to keep their eyes on patients to observe their signs and symptoms to
see if their conditions are improving or deteriorating, and to provide corresponding
nursing care.
In psychiatric nursing
Different from general nursing, patient with mental health problems may not accurately
express or describe what they feel or what they think, some may even cannot realise their
problems, therefore psychiatric nurses have to collect the information through careful
observation. For example a patient
For instant, self-harm, aggressive behaviors,
Therefore, observation is more important for psychiatric nurse
Observation is a core skill for mental health nurses. The process of observation includes
observing (self, others and the environment), reporting and recording.
It is important to make observations that are based on data drawn from the senses, especially
our sight and hearing.
Observation of others involves noticing their appearance, behavior and speech.
Although it appears to be fairly straightforward, it is extremely difficult to notice or observe
in a way that does not reflect some degree of personal or cultural bias.
Fortunately, observation is a skill that can be readily practiced. Whenever you are with
people, you can switch on your observer role by seeing what you notice about the people and
the environment.
Observation needs to be considered in relation to the other core skills of therapeutic
relationships, taking on different roles and reflection.
It will be necessary to interpret or make some sense of the information you have gathered,
and this requires professional knowledge.
Skills of observation
Sight
Hearing
Smelling
Touching
Levels of observation
Counterargument
Conclusion
Summarise what you have discussed in the body of essay.
