Professional leaders are an invaluable asset for every organization and especially in the field of healthcare since they can introduce and promote positive changes. Hospitals encounter many challenges which affect both staff and patients, and one of the most topical ones is medication non-adherence. Specifically, clinics working in the segment of psychiatry often face psychiatric medication non-adherence on the part of clients, and the problem can be solved by nursing leadership implementing psychoeducation.
First of all, it is crucial to describe the problem of psychiatric medication non-adherence among adult patients and the factors involved in it. The issue of non-adherence to medication refers to situations when a person avoids taking medicine which they were recommended by health personnel (Semahegn et al., 2020). People who are prescribed psychiatric medication usually tend to have considerable mental problems, which in many cases prevent them from taking the necessary medication. Studies demonstrate that non-adherence to medication among people with psychiatric disorders is high (Semahegn et al., 2020). As a result of non-adherence, the medical conditions of people can worsen, treatment effectiveness can decrease, relapses of symptoms may emerge. Nursing leaders have an opportunity to address the issue by promoting better practices among colleagues.
Nursing leadership focusing on the quality and safety of the organizational practices should propose their ideas and formulate their decisions based on clear frameworks. For instance, the evidence-based framework is the core approach which nursing leaders can employ in their decision-making process. The evidence-based framework postulates the idea that all decisions made by leaders in healthcare should rely strictly on the best evidence from the currently available sources (Majers & Warshawsky, 2020). Essentially, nursing leaders, when deciding on a certain intervention, must analyze different studies and academic articles to extract information about the most effective ways of addressing the issue at hand. In the case of psychiatric medication non-adherence, research demonstrates that one of the most effective solutions to the problem is the introduction of patient-nurse psychoeducation programs (Virgolesi et al., 2017). As a result, by using the evidence-based framework, nursing leaders can utilize the intervention in their practice and educate their colleagues about it. By providing evidence on the effectiveness of the patient-nurse psychoeducation program, nursing leadership can improve the quality of the services of the organization.
Nursing leaders also can address the issue of psychiatric medication non-adherence among patients by promoting the use of the shared decision-making framework. The practice of shared decision-making involves building a relationship between the patient and provider, which is based on collaboration and exchange of information contributing to a shared decision (Truglio-Londrigan &, Slyer, 2018). Unlike the evidence-based approach, the shared decision-making framework enables personnel to develop a more personalized treatment for every client. At the same time, the shared framework still relies on scientific evidence yet involves offering several effective treatment options to patients. Nursing leadership can promote the idea of improving the issue of medication non-adherence by encouraging the staff to embrace the shared decision-making approach in their practice. For instance, by utilizing the shared decision-making, the personnel will be able to discuss with patients their preferred way of conducting psychoeducation sessions.
The problem of psychiatric medication non-adherence can be resolved by nursing leadership using evidence-based and shared decision-making frameworks. The evidence-based approach can enable nursing leaders to both identify, implement, and share the most effective interventions, such as psychoeducation in the case of medication non-adherence. The shared decision-making framework provides nursing leaders with an opportunity to discuss the particular ways of overcoming the problem with patients.
References
Majers, J., &, Warshawsky, N. (2020). Evidence-based decision-making for nurse leaders.Nurse Leader, 18(5), 471–475.
Semahegn, A., Torpey, K., Manu, A., Assefa, N., Tesfaye, G., & Ankomah, A. (2020). Psychotropic medication non-adherence and its associated factors among patients with major psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic Reviews, 9(17), 1–18.
Truglio-Londrigan, M., &, Slyer, J. (2018). Shared decision-making for nursing practice: An integrative review. The Open Nursing Journal, 12, 1–14.
Virgolesi, M., Pucciarelli, G., Colantoni, A., D’Andrea, F., Di Donato, B., Giorgi, F., Landi, L., Salustri, E., Turci, C., & Proietti, M. (2017). The effectiveness of a nursing discharge programme to improve medication adherence and patient satisfaction in the psychiatric intensive care unit. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(23), 4456–4466.