Keywords
mental health
role of the nurse
questionnaires
How to Cite
Abstract
In press
Background. The article examines the role of a nurse as a key subject in monitoring the mental health of employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine within comprehensive rehabilitation. The specific nature of law enforcement personnel activities involves prolonged exposure to crisis conditions, a high level of vital threat, and extreme psycho-emotional stress. This necessitates the implementation of rehabilitation where nursing monitoring serves as a tool for early diagnosis and correction of post-traumatic conditions.
Aim. To determine the effective role of a nurse in the system of monitoring the psycho-emotional state of wounded employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
Materials and Methods. A prospective interventional study was conducted. For screening assessment of the psycho-emotional state, an "Anxiety Disorders Questionnaire" was developed, consisting of 11 items (7 for assessing generalized anxiety, 4 for PTSD symptoms). Each item was scored from 0 to 3 points (total sum 0–33). The questionnaire was administered twice (at the beginning and after rehabilitation) under conditions of anonymity and trusting contact with a nurse. Comparison of the results of the first and second surveys was performed using the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired samples. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. The study was carried out as part of the first author's master's thesis.
Research Ethics. The study complied with the standards of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (1964–2024). All patients signed informed consent.
Results. At the beginning of rehabilitation, the integral indicator of mixed anxiety-post-traumatic symptom severity was [21.3±0.5] points (moderate level). After rehabilitation, the indicator decreased to [11.4±0.6] points (mild level; p<0.05). Only 20% of patients had a moderate level of symptoms, and another 20% had no signs of symptoms. Trusting contact with the nurse helped overcome defensive barriers.
Conclusions. Due to informal and continuous contact with the patient, the nurse has a high level of trust, which allows for "hidden" psycho-emotional monitoring. The developed questionnaire is a useful primary diagnostic tool sensitive to changes in the patient's condition.
Keywords: rehabilitation, mental health, role of the nurse, questionnaires.
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