Teaching nurses psychological support of patients with wounds

Concerns about lack of professional empathy with psychological aspects of wound care provided the springboard for this study. Forty-three qualified nurses who regularly care for patients with wounds recorded in research diaries how they supported patients holistically before and after attending a counselling skills workshop. Thirty-nine nurses then attended focus groups to share their experiences. Participants represented varied practice settings, with 581 patient situations recorded in the diaries. Data analysis identified four themes: reflection sharpens the focus on practice; complex situations; emotional labour; and knowing the patient. While patients' feelings were identified in the first diary period, and reflection sharpened the focus on practice, patients' psychological needs were not attended to fully. Following the workshop there was a major shift in the understanding and provision of psychological support for patients with wounds by some of the nurses. Others were unable or unwilling to embrace counselling skills into care. This highlights the need to address nurses' attitudes and beliefs that might interfere with psychological support for patients with wounds.