Needs of persons with serious mental illness following discharge from inpatient treatment: patient and family views.

Patients with serious mental illnesses often struggle with persistent symptoms that interfere with daily functioning in the community. The first days and weeks following inpatient treatment for an acute episode may be a critical time for patients to connect with the recommended community follow-up. Residual symptoms may interfere with their ability to access and benefit from these services to meet their needs.

The medication administration process: patients' perspectives.

Medication administration in acute care settings is a high-volume and potentially an error-prone activity. This descriptive exploratory study investigates patients' perspective about this process and provides insights for nurses who want to deliver patient-centered care. Findings indicate that patients are acutely aware of nurses' involvement in the medication process; however, the extent patients want to be involved in the process is variable.

Transitional care for seriously mentally ill persons: a pilot study.

This article reports the results of a pilot study of a nurse-based in-home transitional care intervention for seriously mentally ill persons. The goals of the intervention were to address the lack of continuity of care in existing programs and to meet the immediate postdischarge needs of severely mentally ill persons. This article focuses primarily on the applicability and feasibility of the intervention for this population, given the challenges of engaging seriously mentally ill patients in a community-based protocol and the complexity of their illnesses.

The teaching effectiveness of standardized patients.

Teaching nursing students therapeutic communication skills begins in the classroom and extends to the clinical environment. The usual method of instruction consists of random patient encounters observed by faculty and measures of competence that rely on paper-and-pencil tests. Using standardized patients (SPs) offers an alternative approach to the traditional method of teaching.

Mastery, burden, and areas of concern among family caregivers of mentally ill persons.

In an era of limited resources for mental health care, family interventions need to target areas where they are responsive to families' expressed needs. Although family burden has been documented, less is known about the areas of concern that families feel they need direct assistance with, to be effective caregivers. Telephone interviews were conducted with 30 family members of mentally ill relatives.

Enhancing self-care in community dwelling older adults.

This article describes the development of an enrichment program to promote social support, coping with aging, and enhancing self-care in a sample of African American older adults living independently in low-income public housing. To address the needs of the increasing population of older adults in the United States, health initiatives that foster independence, wellness, and self-care are essential.

Barriers to family care in psychiatric settings.

Purpose: To identify barriers to family care in psychiatric settings and to describe family and provider perspectives about what constitutes effective family care.

Design And Methods: A qualitative exploratory approach with focus groups. Seventy-eight people participated in 11 focus groups conducted with families, patients, and health professionals.