Difficulties That Municipal Public Health Nurses Who Support People with Mental Illnesses Experience Regarding Personal Interaction and Support Provision

Abstract

Objectives: The aims were to outline the difficulties faced by public health nurses when interacting with and providing support to persons with mental illnesses, and to provide practical suggestions to help overcome these difficulties.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study of municipal public health nurses used semi-structured interviews for data collection.

Results: Eight municipal public health nurses participated. Four major categories, 11 middle categories, 45 minor categories, and 476 codes were extracted from the qualitative analysis. Public health nurses experienced [difficulty in supporting patients and their families], [difficulty in improving the life of the patients facing difficulties in their social life], [lack of coordination and organizations for mental health support from the municipal standpoint], and [difficulty in controlling their own emotions when providing mental health support].

Discussion: Municipal public health nurses need to acquire skills for provision of mental health support, control their negative emotions, and to increase their understanding of patient characteristics. A support system for sharing information and case studies within the workplace needs to be created. Cross-departmental liaison meetings among public health nurses are recommended for considering the problems at a regional level (instead of perceiving them as personal problems) and to discuss solutions.