Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify nursing care in the acute care unit and after hospital discharge to prevent rehospitalization of the patients soon after discharge. The subject was 83 patients with mental disorders who were hospitalized in the acute care unit and consented to participation in this study. The kinds of nursing care for the subjects during hospital admission and after hospital discharge were extracted for each disease and qualitatively analyzed. The average age of the patients was 47.4 years old and the time period from onset was 11.5 years. The total past admission period was 4.5 years. The average age of nurses who provided nursing care to the patients was 41.1 years old, with their total nursing care experience of 14.5 years, and psychiatric nursing care experience of 10.2 years on average. <Considering patients' stable living after hospital discharge and activating resources> and <providing safe and secure care at home> were extracted in both schizophrenia and mood disorder patients. It was considered that support for encouraging symptom management and self-care was given to schizophrenia patients, and support for encouraging the recognition of depressive conditions and symptoms, and stress management and self-insight was given to mood disorder patients to prevent rehospitalization soon after hospital discharge. There was no difference in the nursing care given between patients who were rehospitalized within three months after hospital discharge and those who were not. We discussed the results of this study from the viewpoints of the care needed for each patient, symptom management, self-care, adequate crisis intervention and continuing supports by professional team in community.
