Neuropsychiatric nursing: a useful adjunct to comprehensive neuroscience nursing care

Neurological illness often influences the patient's behavior either as a direct result of trauma or due to pathophysiological changes to the brain. Neurological patients also experience psychological responses to their illness resulting in a heightened potential for a dual impact on behavior. The neuropsychiatric nurse provides care to patients with severe or unusually persistent behavioral manifestations of illness. Neurologic, psychiatric, cognitive and functional assessments are completed by the neuropsychiatric nurse to obtain an accurate picture of the behavioral problem. Nursing interventions are then developed to improve functional ability and promote independence. If a neuropsychiatric nurse is not available many of these assessment skills can be employed by neuroscience nurses and implemented on neurological and neurosurgical units.