Exploring Nurses' Perceptions of Nursing Presence in the Mental Health Setting

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Mental Health Care
• Phenomenology

Background:

• Nursing presence is a fundamental relational approach in nursing practice.
• It is crucial for delivering holistic, person-centered care and is recognized as an intervention.
• Research on nurses' experiences with presence in mental health settings is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the lived experiences of mental health nurses using nursing presence.
• To understand how nurses engage with presence in their relational care.

Main Methods:

• Hermeneutic phenomenology guided the inquiry.
• Twelve mental health nurses were interviewed using semistructured guides via Zoom.
• Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: 'A powerful intervention which fuels healing,' 'Building the bridge,' 'Transcending barriers,' and 'Preserving the well.'
• These themes illustrate the multifaceted nature of nursing presence in mental health.

Conclusions:

• Nursing presence is essential for enhancing holistic health care quality.
• Findings suggest incorporating nursing presence into curricula and policies to benefit both patients and nurses.