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Biomedical subjects

H E Watson

Publications and source records attributed to H E Watson.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Assessing the impact of training on mental health nurses' therapeutic attitudes and knowledge about co-morbidity: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Substance misuse can trigger or be causally associated with mental health problems. Therapeutic attitude is important in predicting effective engagement with people with alcohol and drug problems but health professionals' attitudes towards this client group are often negative. Education regarding substance misuse has often been neglected and nurses may lack knowledge to provide appropriate care. OBJECTIVES: To test the impact of training for staff who work with people who have co-existing mental health and substance use problems. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial. SETTING: An NHS Primary Care Division in the West of Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-nine mental health nurses. METHODS: Intervention. A four-day training programme. MEASUREMENTS: (a) therapeutic attitudes measured by the co-morbidity problems perceptions questionnaire; (b) knowledge of alcohol, drugs and co-morbidity measured by a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Significant effects for group (F=30.42, p<0.001) were found in therapeutic attitude scores and also over time (F=10.66, p<0.001). A significant interaction was also found (p<0.001). Post-hoc testing revealed that the mean pre-training attitude score was significantly different from post-training (p=0.001; 95% CI 5.53, 25.38) and from six-months follow-up (p<0.001; 95% CI 11.26, 32.49) but that post-training and follow-up mean scores were not significantly different (p=0.358; 95% CI -4.71, 17.55). For knowledge, a significant group effect was found (F=10.32, p=0.002), and also a significant time effect (F=3.35, p=0.039) but no significant interaction effect was present (p=0.169). The post-hoc testing revealed that only a pre-training to six-month follow-up time effect was statistically significant (p=0.005; 95% CI 1.37, 9.29). CONCLUSIONS: The training programme was effective in improving the therapeutic attitudes of participants to working with clients who have co-existing mental health and substance use problems, both immediately after the training was delivered, and at six-months follow-up. It was also effective in improving participants' overall knowledge of alcohol, drugs and co-morbidity.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2001

An interpretive study of the nurse teacher's role in practice placement areas.

The role of the nurse teacher in the clinical area is widely debated in the literature, however there are few research studies that focus exclusively on this issue. Of note is the particular dearth of research from a Scottish perspective. This article reports on a research study which was designed to illuminate nurse teachers' experiences regarding their role in the practice placement area. An interpretive research approach was used in order to gain an understanding of the role of the nurse teacher in the clinical area. The study involved 18 nurse teachers, from three nursing departments across Scotland, taking part in focus group interviews. Five main themes are reported in this article: being an advisor, being a supporter, being a regulator, being an interpreter and being a networker. Findings from the study revealed that the nurse teachers have a multifaceted role which includes providing advice and support to trained staff and students, regulating professional standards, interpreting assessment documentation and networking with clinical staff.

Counseling↗
PubMed1999

A study of minimal interventions for problem drinkers in acute care settings.

This article reports an investigation of three minimal interventions for potential problem drinkers in general hospital wards. The interventions were: (a) brief advice; (b) the provision of health education literature; (c) a combination of both the advice and literature. One year after recruitment the mean levels of alcohol consumption and the number of alcohol-related problems reported by the cohort was significantly reduced. These reductions were supported by reductions in the mean levels of GGT and AST, but not in mean MCV. No statistically significant treatment effects were found. The results are presented and implications for nursing are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Problem drinkers in acute care settings: validation of an assessment instrument.

This article reports a validation study of a screening procedure for detecting those patients whose patterns of alcohol consumption places them at risk of developing alcohol-related health problems. The sample comprised 998 patients who were admitted to the wards of a general hospital for treatment of conditions which were not primarily alcohol-related. Twenty-six per cent of patients reported drinking more than published guidelines for low-risk drinking. The use of a diary was found to be a valid means of assessing patients' levels of alcohol consumption, and its reliability and validity was confirmed as a method of distinguishing potential problem drinkers from those whose level of alcohol consumption does not place them at risk. As such, the diary is recommended as an assessment tool which can readily be incorporated into standard assessment procedures.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Minimal interventions for problem drinkers: a review of the literature.

There is an increasing body of literature concerning the role in health promotion for nurses working in many health care settings. It has been argued that this role should include identifying those individuals whose life-style increases their risk of developing health problems, as well as providing appropriate advice and information. Life-style factors which may contribute to ill-health include problem drinking. This literature review presents a critique of studies of brief, or minimal, interventions for problem drinkers which have been conducted in both primary care and acute settings. The concept of minimal interventions is explored and the potential for nurses to assume a role in delivering such interventions is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Alcohol problems among women in a general hospital ward.

This paper reports a study which was conducted to establish the utility of a screening procedure consisting of a structured interview and blood tests (GGT and MCV) to detect early problem drinking in female patients in a short-stay general hospital ward. The proportion of women identified by the interview schedule was found to be greater than has been reported in general practice and some other studies of female problem drinking. However, most of the blood tests were normal for this group. Excessive alcohol consumption was significantly associated with attempted suicide by drug overdose.

Alcohol Drinking↗