Do mental health patients, who are subjected to the Unpleasant Voices Scale and the Harm Command Safety Protocol versus patients who are not subjected to these tools prior to command hallucinations to harm self or others, have better outcomes?
Kymberly Moehring
Methodist College
N342 Mental Health
Debra Murphy
Mental Health in Nursing Practice Evidence-Based Practice Brief For this assignment, the student was asked to write an evidence-based brief paper on a nursing related topic within the mental health field. The student chose a topic on hallucinations and to go further into that, command hallucinations. Command hallucinations, according to J Am Acad Psychiatry …show more content…
Of the factors that place individuals at increased suicide, schizophrenia is one of the most frequent mental health disorders associated with suicide, second only to depression (Gerlock, Buccheri, Buffum, Trygstad, & Dowling, 2010). By having patients fill out these assessment tools, it gives nurses and physicians a better insight into the patient’s thoughts and behaviors. These tools can help predict if a patient is going to act on a command hallucination any time soon.
Purpose of this Evidence-Based Practice Summary Nurses are the number one advocates for patients. Patients gain trust in nurses because nurses are who they encounter the most. The purpose of this intervention of using the two tools together can help nurses now and in the future to not only help save patient lives, but others’ lives who are also in danger because of the patient. “While participating in the course, an inpatient reported command hallucinations to kill herself, when the APN course leader implemented the safety protocol, the patient’s suicide plan was revealed” (Gerlock, Buccheri, Buffum, Trygstad, & Dowling, Pg. 32, 2010).
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