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User participation in mental health nurse decision-making: a co-operative enquiry

User participation in mental health nurse decision-making: a co-operative enquiry
User participation in mental health nurse decision-making: a co-operative enquiry
Aim: This paper is a report of a study to encourage participants to work together to identify strategies for increasing user participation in clinical decisions and to evaluate the value of co-operative inquiry as a vehicle for supporting learning in practice.
Background: Service user participation in the clinical practice decisions of mental health nurses is considered essential for good practice. Methods need to be found which enable opportunities for shared learning, facilitate practice development and empower service users.
Method: A co-operative inquiry design engaged all participants (n = 17) as co-researchers and involved repeated cycles of action and reflection, using multiple data collection methods. The research was conducted over a two year period in 2004–2005, with mental health nursing students collaborating with service users.
Findings: Factors inhibiting participation included stigmatizing and paternalistic approaches, where clinical judgments were made solely on the basis of diagnosis. Enhancing factors were a respectful culture which recognized users’‘expertise’ and communicated belief in individual potential. Inquiry benefits included insight into service users’ perspectives, enhanced confidence in decision-making, appreciation of power issues in helping relationships and deconstruction of decision-making within a safe learning environment.
Conclusion: Learning from novel approaches which enable nursing students to develop their reflective and reflexive ability is essential to avoid practice which disempowers and potentially harms service users’ recovery. Co-operative inquiry is a valuable vehicle for developing professional practice in higher education and practice environments.
cooperative enquiry, empirical research report, mental health, nurse education, nursing, service users, shared learning
0309-2402
135-145
Tee, Steve
613be22d-dc14-497c-a352-f1384bcdb520
Lathlean, Judith
98a74375-c265-47d2-b75b-5f0f3e14c1a9
Herbert, Lesley
35908a0b-0ce9-4a62-beb0-359c564eca4f
Coldham, Tina
6de2e793-ee43-412e-8191-50ad8db0e769
East, Bella
fca8de01-1b73-43bb-ac59-77a5c763d7dc
Johnson, Tammy-Jo
c34cc212-ec1a-4d62-9835-282bc46b0d2a
Tee, Steve
613be22d-dc14-497c-a352-f1384bcdb520
Lathlean, Judith
98a74375-c265-47d2-b75b-5f0f3e14c1a9
Herbert, Lesley
35908a0b-0ce9-4a62-beb0-359c564eca4f
Coldham, Tina
6de2e793-ee43-412e-8191-50ad8db0e769
East, Bella
fca8de01-1b73-43bb-ac59-77a5c763d7dc
Johnson, Tammy-Jo
c34cc212-ec1a-4d62-9835-282bc46b0d2a

Tee, Steve, Lathlean, Judith, Herbert, Lesley, Coldham, Tina, East, Bella and Johnson, Tammy-Jo (2007) User participation in mental health nurse decision-making: a co-operative enquiry. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 60 (2), 135-145. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2007.04345.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to encourage participants to work together to identify strategies for increasing user participation in clinical decisions and to evaluate the value of co-operative inquiry as a vehicle for supporting learning in practice.
Background: Service user participation in the clinical practice decisions of mental health nurses is considered essential for good practice. Methods need to be found which enable opportunities for shared learning, facilitate practice development and empower service users.
Method: A co-operative inquiry design engaged all participants (n = 17) as co-researchers and involved repeated cycles of action and reflection, using multiple data collection methods. The research was conducted over a two year period in 2004–2005, with mental health nursing students collaborating with service users.
Findings: Factors inhibiting participation included stigmatizing and paternalistic approaches, where clinical judgments were made solely on the basis of diagnosis. Enhancing factors were a respectful culture which recognized users’‘expertise’ and communicated belief in individual potential. Inquiry benefits included insight into service users’ perspectives, enhanced confidence in decision-making, appreciation of power issues in helping relationships and deconstruction of decision-making within a safe learning environment.
Conclusion: Learning from novel approaches which enable nursing students to develop their reflective and reflexive ability is essential to avoid practice which disempowers and potentially harms service users’ recovery. Co-operative inquiry is a valuable vehicle for developing professional practice in higher education and practice environments.

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More information

Submitted date: March 2007
Published date: October 2007
Keywords: cooperative enquiry, empirical research report, mental health, nurse education, nursing, service users, shared learning

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 47992
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/47992
ISSN: 0309-2402
PURE UUID: b5322feb-4a81-4b87-af44-202553bbb770

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Date deposited: 16 Aug 2007
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 09:41

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Contributors

Author: Steve Tee
Author: Judith Lathlean
Author: Lesley Herbert
Author: Tina Coldham
Author: Bella East
Author: Tammy-Jo Johnson

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