Psychoeducation group facilitation training for nurses: A quality improvement project

Area of Science:

• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Nursing Education
• Mental Health Services Research

Background:

• Rising rates of child and adolescent mental health conditions necessitate improved treatments, including psychoeducation.
• Inpatient psychiatric nurses are vital for delivering psychoeducation but often lack adequate training.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges in youth, increasing demand for services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a training program designed to enhance psychoeducation group facilitation skills among nurses in a pediatric psychiatric unit.
• To address nurses' self-reported discomfort in facilitating psychoeducation groups.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement study involving a one-group pretest-posttest-follow-up design.
• Sixteen nurses participated in a 60-minute training session including education and skills simulation.
• Data on nurses' knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward evidence-based practice were collected at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in nurses' knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes towards evidence-based practice were observed post-training.
• These improvements were sustained at the follow-up assessment.
• The training effectively addressed the identified gap in nurses' confidence and competence.

Conclusions:

• Providing targeted education and structured support is essential for empowering nurses to effectively facilitate psychoeducation groups.
• The findings underscore the importance of investing in nursing professional development for mental healthcare.
• Further research should explore long-term sustainability and efficacy of these interventions.