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How should nurses deal with patients' personal racism? Learning from practice
1Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Chester, Warrington Campus, Warrington, UK. m.deacon@chester.ac.uk
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
|July 14, 2011
Summary
Nurses manage patient racism by viewing it as a symptom of mental illness, using direct engagement, avoidance, or minimization. Open discussion and supportive culture are crucial for effective practice development in clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Nursing
- Clinical Psychology
- Sociology of Health
Background:
- Racism is a pervasive global issue impacting healthcare environments.
- Nurses frequently encounter patient expressions of racism, creating ethical and practical challenges.
- Vulnerable patients, due to health status, may exhibit racist behaviors.
Observation:
- An ethnographic study of acute mental health nursing in a UK hospital informed this research.
- Nurses perceived patients' racist expressions as linked to their mental ill-health.
- Observed nursing strategies included direct engagement, trouble avoidance, and minimizing strangeness.
Findings:
- Patient racism in clinical settings requires nuanced management beyond simple procedural rules.
- Nurses' conceptualization of racism as a symptom influences their management approach.
- Effective management involves a supportive culture where concerns are taken seriously and addressed collaboratively.
Implications:
- Practice development is needed to support nurses in managing patient racism.
- Fostering an open culture for discussing racism is essential for nurse well-being and patient care.
- The identified nursing methods offer a foundation for developing effective interventions in this sensitive area.
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