An evaluation of the outcomes of psychosocial intervention training for qualified and unqualified nursing staff working in a low-secure mental health unit

Abstract

Psychosocial intervention (PSI) training results in enhanced knowledge, more positive attitudes, increased confidence and lower levels of clinical burnout for qualified mental health professionals and better outcomes for service users who they work with. This paper describes an evaluation of a PSI training course for qualified and unqualified nurses working in a low-secure unit. Forty-two staff (21 qualified) were randomly allocated to an experimental training group or a waiting list control group. Knowledge, attitudes and burnout were assessed before and after the training. In addition, a random sample of 44 care plans written by the qualified nurses were audited before and after to examine evidence of implementation of PSI in practice. Qualified and unqualified nurses in the experimental group showed significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes compared with the control group. Care plans showed a significant increase in the implementation of PSI. The only significant change in burnout was a reduction in depersonalization for qualified nurses in the experimental group. The PSI training may result in improvements in knowledge, attitude and practice in qualified and unqualified nurses working with severely mentally ill patients in low-secure settings, but in this study the training did not incur protection against burnout.