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Psychological consultation in older adult inpatient settings
 — a qualitative investigation of the impact on staff's daily practice and the mechanisms of change
Author(s)Sinead A Murphy, Hannah Osborne, Ian Smith
Journal titleAging & Mental Health, vol 17, nos 3-4, April/May 2013
PublisherTaylor and Francis, April/May 2013
Pagespp 441-448
Sourcehttp://www.tandfonline.com
KeywordsPsychiatric treatment ; Consultation ; Dementia ; Psychogeriatric units ; Psychiatrists ; Qualitative Studies.
AnnotationPsychological consultation is becoming increasingly common within older adult mental health and dementia services. However, there is very little research that examines the impact or effectiveness of this method of working. This qualitative study explored how psychological consultation affected the daily practice of staff working on mental health and dementia inpatient units. It also examined the mechanisms that enabled this process. Ten staff who had received psychological consultation were individually interviewed. Staff comprised qualified and unqualified staff from a range of professions, and worked on older adult mental health or dementia units. Interviews were subject to thematic analysis. Five themes were identified from the analysis: (1) 'It makes you understand the reasons why people are like they are'; (2) 'It depends on the patient or service user'; (3) the importance of visibility and accessibility; (4) impact of psychology consultation on the effectiveness of the team; and (5) impact of psychology consultation on feelings invoked in the workplace. The findings suggest that psychological consultation affected staffs' daily practice in a variety of ways. Psychological consultation also appeared to increase team efficiency. Less positive findings were identified within the dementia setting. Specific recommendations are drawn from the conclusions to further guide clinical psychologists working within teams. Direction for future research in the area of psychological consultation is also suggested. (RH)
Accession NumberCPA-130531216 A
ClassmarkLP: LK6: EA: LDM: QT9: 3DP

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