TY - JOUR
T1 - Safety, risk, and aggression
T2 - Health professionals’ experiences of caring for people affected by methamphetamine when presenting for emergency care
AU - Usher, Kim
AU - Jackson, Debra
AU - Woods, Cindy
AU - Sayers, Jan
AU - Kornhaber, Rachel
AU - Cleary, Michelle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.
PY - 2017/10
Y1 - 2017/10
N2 - The crystalline form of methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth (crystal methamphetamine) or ICE, is a highly-addictive and powerful stimulant. Users of crystal meth often require emergency care, and are associated with a substantial burden of care by emergency care providers. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore health professionals’ experiences of providing care for patients affected by ICE who presented to the emergency department (ED). Nine semistructured interviews were conducted. The major theme, ‘staying safe’, was revealed, in which participants described their experiences of being exposed to potentially unsafe situations, and their responses to challenging behaviours, including aggression. The findings highlight the need for ED staff to understand the nature of ICE use and its adverse impact on the mental and physical health of users. Furthermore, it is clear that establishing and maintaining safety in the emergency care setting is of utmost importance, and should be a priority for health-care managers.
AB - The crystalline form of methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth (crystal methamphetamine) or ICE, is a highly-addictive and powerful stimulant. Users of crystal meth often require emergency care, and are associated with a substantial burden of care by emergency care providers. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore health professionals’ experiences of providing care for patients affected by ICE who presented to the emergency department (ED). Nine semistructured interviews were conducted. The major theme, ‘staying safe’, was revealed, in which participants described their experiences of being exposed to potentially unsafe situations, and their responses to challenging behaviours, including aggression. The findings highlight the need for ED staff to understand the nature of ICE use and its adverse impact on the mental and physical health of users. Furthermore, it is clear that establishing and maintaining safety in the emergency care setting is of utmost importance, and should be a priority for health-care managers.
KW - aggression
KW - crystal methamphetamine
KW - emergency department
KW - ICE
KW - violence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031930579&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/inm.12345
DO - 10.1111/inm.12345
M3 - Special issue
C2 - 28960736
AN - SCOPUS:85031930579
SN - 1445-8330
VL - 26
SP - 437
EP - 444
JO - International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
JF - International Journal of Mental Health Nursing
IS - 5
ER -