The morality of treating patients with depot neuroleptics: the experience of community psychiatric nurses

• The aim of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the meaning that community psychiatric nurses impart to their everyday interactions with patients in depot neuroleptic treatment situations. Nine experienced community psychiatric nurses were interviewed using semistructured, open-ended questions. Data analysis was by the phenomenological descriptive method according to Giorgi. Four themes were identified, highlighting aspects of the moral meaning of treating patients with depot neuroleptics: (1) ‘benevolent justification’ occurs when nurses perceive that the patient’s welfare is at stake; (2) ‘inability to advocate the patients’ best interest’ occurs when nurses feel they are at a disadvantage; (3) ‘accommodative interactions’ occur when nurses are able to respond to a patient’s expressed needs; and (4) ‘acceptable advocacy’ occurs when physicians are sensitive to nurses’ suggestions on patients’ treatment. The findings indicate that treatment care planning involving both patients and nurses is essential to enhance patients’ autonomy, which is a precondition for satisfactory interactions. This phenomenological study describes the meaning that nurses give to administering depot neuroleptic injections to patients in the context of community psychiatric clinics. The phenomenon of concern was identified as the moral aspect in the interactions with individual patients in the treatment situation.

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