Use of Objective Rating Scales for Generalized Anxiety by Psychiatry Specialists in Pediatric Populations: A Research Review.

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions affecting pediatric populations. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, recommends objective measurement of pediatric anxiety for evaluation of symptomatology and treatment response. The objective of the current review was to summarize recommendations and resources for measuring pediatric anxiety, and to quantify and characterize use of outcome measures for generalized anxiety in pediatric psychiatry. These findings represent an essential step toward understanding how and to what extent anxiety rating scales are used in pediatric psychiatry and where quality improvement initiatives may be needed. Education, training, and further research are warranted to optimize use of measurement-based care for generalized anxiety in pediatric psychiatry settings and to determine which scales are optimal for use in this context. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(5), 11-16.].

Text Message Reminders for Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in Patients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders have a chronic disease process that is difficult to manage. Medication nonadherence increases the risk for relapse and subsequent rehospitalization. Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics have greater effectiveness in promoting medication adherence. AIMS: To determine whether text message reminders for LAI antipsychotic administration improve medication adherence. METHODS: The setting is a community mental health clinic in the west Texas region. Reminders deliver upon scheduling the appointment 3 weeks, 3 days, and 3 hr before the medication is due. This project aimed to determine the effectiveness of text reminders for LAI compliance in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Primary outcome measures include compliance percentage and target day variability. After exclusion criteria, there was a sample size of 49 patients. RESULTS: This pre- and post-intervention study utilized descriptive statistics and nonparametric analysis. Pre-intervention metrics outline 84.39% compliance with 3.55 target day variability. Post-intervention data resulted in a significant increase in compliance percentage to 91.24% (p = .014) and a decrease in target day variability to 1.33 days (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Text message reminders may be an effective intervention in increasing LAI compliance for individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Exploring plagiarism.

ABSTRACT: Plagiarism is a common issue in academic and professional communities. This article discusses ways to avoid plagiarism by identifying valuable resources, such as appropriate paraphrasing, creative work organizing, and new technology. Understanding copyright law safeguards is critical to avoiding plagiarism.

Five Steps to Integrating Telehealth Into APRN Curricula.

The COVID-19 pandemic suddenly changed the scene of primary care visits. As clinics abruptly transitioned to telehealth visits, health care providers and students were required to use digital technologies to deliver health care from a distance. This article highlights 5 steps used by faculty to integrate telehealth concepts into the graduate curriculum for all advanced practice registered nurse programs. As patients and providers recognize its widespread acceptance, telehealth will likely have a permanent place in traditional health care delivery long after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Therapeutic Outcomes of Treatment With Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in Forensic Populations With Schizophrenia-Spectrum Diagnoses.

The advantages of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) in schizophrenia are well studied. However, forensic involvement is common in schizophrenia, and incarcerated individuals are often excluded from clinical trials. Nonadherence and oral medication diversion in forensic populations with schizophrenia, and the relationship between antipsychotic nonadherence and crime support LAI utilization in this subset of patients. Yet, federal regulations limit data generation in forensic populations. This review characterizes data on therapeutic outcomes of LAIs in correctional populations with schizophrenia-spectrum diagnoses. A search for primary literature was conducted in PubMed. Favorable effects of LAIs were observed on adherence, psychiatric symptomatology, patient satisfaction, health care costs, and frequency of criminal charges. Data were primarily retrospective and included small samples and individuals with historical versus current forensic involvement. Although limited, available literature and insights into the correctional system suggest advantages to LAI use in forensic populations. Barriers to conducting research in correctional settings must be addressed to facilitate further data generation.

Stakeholder perceptions of the efficacy, barriers, and facilitators of telemental health clinical experiences during COVID for nurse practitioner students.

BACKGROUND: Telemental health services grew during the COVID pandemic, resulting in psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner students obtaining clinical hours through this modality. Although patient outcome data demonstrate the efficacy of telemental health services, data on the efficacy of learning through telehealth clinical experiences are lacking. PURPOSE: To explore perceptions of learning through telehealth clinical experiences by students, preceptors, and faculty and to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to facilitating telehealth clinical experiences. METHODOLOGY: Mixed-methods exploratory study using web-based, researcher-designed, cross-sectional surveys eliciting perceptions of learning and perceived barriers and facilitators to telemental health clinical experiences sent to current and former PMHNP students and their preceptors of a state university in the southwest along with PMHNP faculty in the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Students and preceptors were offered the option to participate in a semistructured interview. RESULTS: Twenty students (35.7%), 22 preceptors (24.7%), and 19 faculty (25.3%) participated in the surveys. Three preceptors and three students volunteered for interviews. Telemental health clinicals were perceived by students as equivalent to or superior to in-person learning. Preceptors rated the teaching/learning environment through telemental health as equivalent or better as compared with in-person clinicals with two exceptions. Faculty-rated greatest barrier to telemental health clinicals was telephone visits because of technology issues. CONCLUSIONS: Telemental health clinicals can provide a high-quality learning experience for students. IMPLICATIONS: Preceptors should be provided with resources for facilitating telemental health clinicals. Ongoing discussions regarding the number of clinical hours recommended through telehealth are needed.

Legal Considerations of Psychiatric Nursing Practice.

There are major legal issues that affect psychiatric nursing and guidelines for practicing in a legal and responsible manner. Advances in understanding of psychiatric conditions and developments in how nurses care for psychiatric patients result in changes in regulations, case law, and policies that govern nursing practice. Professional development, keeping abreast of current research and literature regarding clinical practice and trends, and involvement in professional organizations are some of the ways that psychiatric nurses can meet the challenges of their profession.

Bupropion diversion and misuse in the correctional facility.

The antidepressant bupropion plays an important role in the treatment of mental health disorders. It is well known that incarcerated individuals are at increased risk of experimenting with psychiatric medications and it is imperative for prescribers and clinicians to understand the misuse potential of these medications, including bupropion. The mechanism of reinforcement of misuse of bupropion is related to the effect on dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitter systems. When bupropion is crushed and ingested via nasal insufflation, a faster and higher affinity for neurotransmitters occurs, heightening the misuse potential. A literature search and illustrative case studies are presented demonstrating the misuse potential, along with a review of the clinical implications. This article concludes that in the incarcerated population, bupropion is a medication with significant misuse and diversion potential.