Thai Psychiatric Nurses’ Experiences and Perception of Professional Role when Caring for Older People Displaying Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Purpose: The aim was to describe Thai psychiatric nurses’ experiences and their perceptions of their professional role when caring for older people suffering depression.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive research design was used. Thirteen psychiatric nurses were purposively included. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using latent content analysis.
Findings: The psychiatric nurses’ experiences and professional role were mirrored in the following themes: (i) managing a central role in the care of the patients; (ii) conflicting interests between the professional needs of caregiving and other requests; and (iii) being compassionate beyond the profession.
Conclusion: The psychiatric nurses were challenged by the complexity of the
caregiving situations. Health service authorities may use these results to develop plans for psychiatric nurses in managing a central role and in advocating for holistic care to mitigate the influence of stakeholders to enhance quality of caring for older individuals with depression.