Apa Case Study Women's Stress Care

The women’s stress unit is a receiving facility for women with psychiatric problems. The unit is divided into two sides. The north side is where low-risk patients are placed. For example, if patients are admitted because of depression they will be put on the north side of the unit. The south side has the more acute patients. Patients that are confused, psychotic and highly suicidal are placed on the south side of the unit. Patients are usually baker acted by law enforcement or the emergency department doctors or voluntarily want to admit themselves in the search for help. The facility is open 24/7 and can hold up to thirty patients. Patients range from teenagers to older adults. The unit staff is composed of one manager, nurses, therapists,
doctors, social workers, mental health technicians, case managers, patient care technicians.This paper will highlight three major strengths, and two major weaknesses of the unit and how the organization can minimize these weaknesses will also be discussed in this paper.
Explain at least three major strengths and two major weaknesses of the organization/unit.
One of the strengths of the women ‘unit is that patients, doctors, and their family members work side by side in finding the best treatment plan. Additionally, most of the problem that patients are facing is usually family related. Including the family as part of the treatment plan is highly significant. According to Williams-Reade, Freitas, & Lawson, (2014). “The overarching goals of medical family therapy are to promote a sense of personal agency and communion (connection to others) among patient and family members” (p.418). Often patients confessed that they are depressed because they are either going through a divorce or that the family is going through some tough situation. Bringing the family together and including them in the plan of care is helpful.
Secondly, Baptist Behavioral Medicine has therapist all day long that patients can request if they feel the need to talk to someone. Throughout the day different group therapy takes place. Patients can come together and share their story. According to Bretz et al. (1994), Fuhriman & Burlingame (1994), Burlingame et al. (2004), “group therapy given alone is an effective/efficacious treatment with an effect size comparable to individual psychotherapy (As cited in Lorentzen, & Ruud, (n.d), p.220). Patients appreciate these group therapy because it makes them feel like they are not the only one dealing with problems and they are not alone out there. Different activities like drawing, painting, outside time, are also available during the day for patients.
Thirdly, patients that are suffering from PTSD are allowed to bring one dog with them. Dog therapy is very efficient, and it is often used in patients’ treatment (Segal, 2016, p.94). According to Segal (2016), “Dogs might also help de-stigmatize mental health care and reduce behavioral incidences due to PTSD” (p.7). In the past patients that are attached to their dogs and have no one to care for them will shorten their stay, but now that they can have at least one therapy dog with them, this bring them peace.
One of the major weakness is that Baptist Behavioral does not have private rooms. It is one of the major complaints that we received from patients. Often we have very confused and violent patients; these patients should have been assigned to private rooms. I think it would have been safer especially in psych to have a facility with private rooms.
Safety is also an issue, like in all psychiatric places.
The fact that most of these patients are unpredictable make the place scarier. Adequate staffing is often lacking. One nurse can be assigned to one side without a mental health technician. The wait for help when in a dangerous situation, often feels like an eternity.
For each weakness, discuss what the organization could do to minimize that weakness
Baptist Behavioral should have at least four private rooms apart from the quiet rooms that are designated for patients that are extremely confused or violent. These patients should not be allowed to have roommates since it increases the risk of injury. Each floor should also have a security located on the floors. When a code gray is called, the security usually comes from downstairs to come and help. Most of these security officers come after the fact which put patients and nurses at greater risk of getting hurt without help.
Include in your analysis an explanation of how each of the opportunities and threats will likely impact the
organization/unit
Having private rooms on the women’s unit will significantly improve patients’ satisfaction.
Patients’ satisfaction is crucial for the hospital. If patients are satisfied with the service that they received they will most likely not come back. The rating of the hospital will go lower than other hospitals. Patients will probably choose to go to the pavilion at West Florida just because they have private rooms. Improving safety will also help the organization to create a safer atmosphere on the unit. I also believed that improving safety on the unit will help the organization to keep their staff. The women’s unit has a big turnover rate. Employees often quit because they do not feel safe on the unit. The unit would save a lot more money by keeping the current staff instead of always hiring new people that are likely to leave in less than a year.
Conclusion
The origination can neutralize threats of losing employees and patients by making the unit safer. Having private rooms available to patients and having a security that is present all the time in the unit can help to achieve this goal. The organization can create more therapy session for patients and family to work on their discharge
planning.