Citation

O'Dwyer C, Tarzia L, Fernbacher S, Hegarty K. BMC Health Serv. Res. 2019; 19(1): e990.

Affiliation

The Royal Women's Hospital, Centre for Family Violence Prevention, Melbourne, 3052, Victoria, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s12913-019-4812-8

PMID

31870375

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sexual violence is a global public health issue. It is a form of gender-based violence commonly experienced by women accessing mental health services. The biomedical model has been the dominant model of care in acute psychiatric units, however, there has been a global movement towards more gender-sensitive and trauma-informed models. To date, only a small amount of research has focused on evaluating these models of care and health professionals' experiences of providing this care. The aim of this study is to gain an in-depth understanding of healthcare professionals' perceptions of how Gender Sensitive Care (GSC) is enacted across acute psychiatric inpatient units for women who are survivors of sexual violence.

METHODS: This study used case study methodology and the Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) conceptual framework. NPT is a practical framework that can be used to evaluate the implementation of complex models of care in health settings. It included semi-structured interviews with 40 health professionals, document and policy reviews, and observations from four psychiatric inpatient units within a large Australian public mental health organisation. Data were examined using thematic and content analysis.

RESULTS: Themes were developed under the four NPT core constructs; 1) Understanding GSC in acute psychiatric units: "Without the corridors there's not a lot we can do", 2) Engagement and Commitment to GSC in acute psychiatric units: "There are a few of us who have that gender sensitive lens", 3) Organising, relating and involvement in GSC: "It's band aid stuff", 4) Monitoring and Evaluation of GSC in acute psychiatric units: "We are not perfect, we have to receive that feedback".

DISCUSSION: Many health professionals held a simplistic understanding of GSC and avoided the responsibility of implementing it. Additionally, the competing demands of the biomedical model and a lack of appraisal has resulted in an inconsistent enactment of GSC.

CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals in this study enacted GSC to varying levels. Our findings suggest the need to address each NPT construct comprehensively to adequately implement GSC.

Language: en

Keywords

Acute psychiatric inpatient setting; Health professionals; Mental health care; Normalization process theory; Trauma