The Mentally Ill in Jail: Contemporary Clinical and Practice Perspectives for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing

Public health nursing workforce and learning needs: A national sample survey analysis

OBJECTIVES

Generate national estimates of the public health nursing workforce's (1) demographic and work characteristics and (2) continuing education learning needs in the United States.

DESIGN

Secondary data analysis of the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses.

SAMPLE

Total 7352 of the 50,273 survey respondents were categorized as public health nurses (PHNs), representing an estimated 467,271 national workforce.

MEASUREMENTS

Survey items for demographics, practice setting, training topics, and language(s) spoken fluently were analyzed.

RESULTS

Workforce demographic characteristics are included. Mental health training was the most frequently endorsed topic by PHNs, followed by patient-centered care and evidence-based care. Training topic needs vary by practice setting.

CONCLUSIONS

Results here can be used as a needs assessment for national public health nursing professional development and education initiatives. Further research is needed to refine and survey a nationally representative sample in a manner meaningful to public health nursing practice.

A Comparison Between Rural and Urban Jail Proximities to Inpatient Mental Health Care in New York State

The authors created a model to examine the distance between jails and inpatient mental health care facilities in rural counties versus urban counties in New York State. Using U.S. census data, the top seven most rural counties and top seven most urban counties were selected for analysis. Results indicate that, overall, urban jails have closer access than rural jails to inpatient mental health care, with the furthest facilities for urban jails being 15.1 kilometers and the furthest for rural jails being 43.6 kilometers. The closest inpatient mental health care facility for urban jails was 174 meters, whereas the closest mental health care facility for rural jails was 0.02 kilometers. Average distance from inpatient mental health care was 4.3 kilometers for urban jails and 26 kilometers for rural jails. Policy implications are discussed.

Correctional nursing in Canada's Prairie provinces: Roles, responsibilities, and learning needs

Background

Nurses represent the largest group of health care professionals working with incarcerated persons, yet there is limited understanding of their learning needs, or their roles and responsibilities; and what is known is poorly disseminated.

Purpose

The goal of this research was to describe the roles, responsibilities, and learning needs of correctional nurses practicing in provincial correctional facilities in Alberta and Manitoba, and to add these data to the existing data set from Saskatchewan.

Methods

Three hundred and forty nurses working in provincial correctional facilities in western Canada were invited to complete a self-administered online survey consisting of a Learning Needs Assessment questionnaire (demographic information, knowledge and learning needs, and professional development); and the Staff Questionnaire (which targeted specific skill sets relevant to clinical practice in secure environments). Eighty-two nurses completed the online survey (overall response rate 24%).

Results

Overall, those who participated were experienced in nursing and correctional nursing. The learning needs they identified aligned with their correctional nursing roles and unique practice settings. In particular, issues related to the care of incarcerated persons with mental health disorders and related care were paramount (self-harming behaviours, suicide, mental health assessments in general). In response to the five comprehensive skill sets assessed in the Staff Questionnaire, respondents rated their involvement and importance of the individual skills as important to varying degrees.

Conclusions

The results of this survey shed light on contemporary developments in correctional nursing within provincial correctional facilities in western Canada and provide a foundation for continuing professional education and development, practice, and future research initiatives.