Assessment, Planning, and Communication in Mental Health Nursing: A Case Study of Anton

Introduction The assignment will focus on the case scenario of Anton in demonstrating the ability to accurately gather and process information from the assessment process, identify needs for planning individualised nursing care. Also, it will use evidence -based assessment tools and accurately interpret their findings and take appropriate actions when planning care. Furthermore, it will compare and contrast the communication skills required to care for people with health problems and their families in complex. Finally, examine the principles of courage, transparency and professional duty of candour within the demands of professional practice for individuals with complex healthcare needs and their families. In the United Kingdom (UK), one in four peop le experiences mental issues every year (Hayes et al., 2018) . Anton is one of the people who have mental health issues that result in self -harm thoughts. Evidence -Based Assessments The evidence -based assessment tools identified for this scenario is the Global Mental Health Assessment Tool (GMHAT ) (Hough et al., 2019). The GMHAT is a computerised clinical assessment tool for assessing and identifying mental health issues in various settings. It has been clinically validated and aligns with the World Heal th Organisation’s recommendations (WHO) (Hough et al., 2019). GMHAT is the most appropriate assessment tool for Anton’s case because it does not limit the assessment to just suicidal or self -harm factors; instead, it incorporates other factors like drug abuse, anxiety, memory impairment, and personality issues (Tejada et al., 2016). Also, GMHAT is an appropriate assessment tool and a simple summary for evaluating a patient`s condition developed for use in the community (Hough et al., 2019; Odiyoor, 2013). Therefore, GMHAT is beneficial in assessing Anton’s needs as he is based in the community and experiencing self -harm thoughts. Comment [TB1]: This needs a reference. Comment [TB2]: What other tools are there?1 Comment [TB3]: This is a bold statement that really needs evidence to support it. GMHAT provides a comprehensive view of Anton condition, ranking all conditions as “none”, “moderate”, or “severe” this a llows healthcare professionals to understand better what might be causing Anton’s self -harm thoughts(Hough et al., 2019). Through GMHAT, the team have recorded that Anton’s self -harm features are severe. Therefore, Healthcare professionals will know the r ight plan to take to help Anton improve his conditions. The anxiety factor was also severe; evidence suggested a strong connection between anxiety and self -harm thoughts; this is because self -harm is always viewed as a way of experiencing a release from ov erwhelming situations or emotions. ( Cresswell, 2020; Selman et al., (2017). GMHAT is simple ; however, the general practitioners assessing an underlying mental health issue requires background knowledge , on the other hand GP are highly trained to take into account the physical, psychological and social factor of a patient Royal College of General Practitioner (RCGP) (2017) . If one does not know much about mental health issues, it is easy to miss out on important symptoms (Rowley et al., 2018) . However, ca ution should be exercised in primary care when using screening tools; symptomatology scales have low specificity, resulting in a higher number of false positives. As a result, screening tools can only be used to alert nurses that additional clinical evalua tion is needed, not to make diagnoses(Tejada et al., 2016). Communication Skills Effective communication is fundamental skills to good assessment to enhance the patient experience, reduce complaints, increase nurses confidence and reduce stress (Ali, 201 7). The first communication skill is active listening when assessing Anton’s situation. Active listening means being empathetic; the result of such a communication skill is that the GP and the community health team will understand Anton’s emotions, needs, words, and cues (McKenna et al., 2020). The other communication skill is non - verbal communication s. The non -verbal communications such as gestures, space, body movement, posture and eye contact creates trust, enabling Anton to open up more about his menta l illness (Keinki et al., 2021). However, communication is crucial in the healthcare sector, as it involves ensuring that the healthcare professionals can Comment [TB4]: Good issue to raise – this is the beginnings of analysis. communicate effectively to encourage the patient to open up about their mental condition (Ford et al., 2019) Although, poor communication between Anton and healthcare professionals could lead to misdiagnoses, inadequate assessment, and noncompliance with care (Ruesch, 2018). Principle of Courage Health care practitioners are expected to be courageous when caring for patients as it enables them to stand up for patients, defend what is right, and raise concerns about issues that risk patients’ safety (NMC, 2018). It does not only mean focusing on wh at nurses can do for a patient but also advocating for others within the multidisciplinary team; this level of courage is essential for health care professionals responsible for people with mental illness (Quinlivan et al., 2020). The Nurse should be able to speak out if Anton was wrongly diagnosed or using an inappropriate assessment tool for Anton; the GP should act in the best interest of Anton (Royal College of Nursing, 2019). Also, courage enables health care professionals to make difficult decision s; this includes opening up to patients about the facts and severity of their condition (Tulsky et al., 2021). However, Anton requires moral courage to deal with the issues that he is currently facing, which is crucial to his recovery; Anton must have the ability to overcome fear, which includes standing up to his values. Also, Anton requires physical and moral courage in dealing with mental illness, which is necessary as the GMHAT tool requires patients to undergo treatments that may cause loss of self -esteem (O’Neill et al., 2019). Principle of Transparency Comment [TB5]: You are the one assessing! Comment [TB6]: This is not part of the assignment brief. Comment [TB7]: What tool is being referred to here? In the healthcare sector, transparency has several meanings; for patients, it could mean getting sufficient information about treatment options, costs, and risks ( Saad et al., 2018; Jiang et al., 2017) . In Anton’s case, information about Anton’s past medical history should have be en disclosed to the general practitioners; this will ensure that previous medications and treatments are considered before giving other forms of treatment . Also, transparency builds trust among the team members who are working on Anton’s case. When trust is built between healthcare professionals and the patients , the outcome for the patients is often at the highest level (Glasper, 2019 ; NICE, 2021). The primary goal is to encourage a culture of support, transparency and openness, enabling Anton to speak about his mental health conditions (Jones -Bonofiglio, 2020). Principle of Professional Duty of Candour The professional duty of candour identifies that healthcare professional should be honest and open to patients and their families when something goes wrong with their treatment (NMC, 2019). Also, the duty of candour sets out specific requirements providers must follow when things go wrong with care and treatment, including informing people about the incident, providing reasonable support, providing truthful information and an apology (Public Health England, 2020). Duty of candour regulations should apply to Anton and his family where a notifiable saf ety incident occurs during the assessment (Public Health England, 2020). However, in Anton’s case, there may be the possibility of psychological distress following the assessment process . Therefore , healthcare professionals must gain consent before any car e is given and also, Anton`s right must be respected if he wish to accept or decline treatment (NMC, 2019). However, healthcare professionals must give clear and accurate information about any proposed treatment and risk of any reasonable alternative optio ns to Anton even if they are unlikely (NMC, 2019). Comment [TB8]: What if is not though? Comment [TB9]: Yes but how does this benefit Anton? Comment [TB10]: This needed to be explored further – after all, Anton makes the decisions about his care. Recommendations The assessment tool detects that Anton might be suffering from severe anxiety or depression. The Healthcare practitioners should give Anton and his family the available treatment methods. Mental illness is treatable, and Anton, suffering from mental health, requires proper care and medication or no medical support to help him manage his anxiety levels and deal with his self -harm thoughts (Lehane et al., 2019; Hindi et al., 2018). A patient care plan should be implemented address ing Anton self -harm thoughts which concentrate on developing the required skills to help Anton stay safe without self -harm thoughts . Care plan involves social and family support network s, signposting, coping strategies, personal relationships, and religious beliefs (National Institut e for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2020). The nurse should refer Anton to psychological therapy or a specialist in mental health services for further treatment (National Health Service (NHS, 2019). However, if Anton becomes more intent with his self -harm ideations, nurse should refer Anton to a crisis resolution and home treatment team (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2020). It is also crucial for the nurse to arrange a sleep assessment for Anton, which also affects a person’s multiple aspects such as their quality of life, mood, and daytime activity. People with mental health issues such as Anton usually have problems with disturbed sleep, where attention address ing specific issue s is needed, such as their lifestyle, work -related issues, and family issues (Kleemola et al., 2020). The assessment should address the patient medication use and sleep -wake patterns, as these factors tend to contribute to adverse mental health outcom es and disturbed sleep patterns. Comment [TB11]: No. Tools simply rate the ’level’ of severity and the healthcare professional makes the decision. Comment [TB12]: This sentence needs evidence to support it. Treatable does not mean cure, and how can Anton be suffering from health? Comment [TB13]: A safety planning what Comment [TB14]: The GP has referred the case to you! So, do you need to refer on? Why cannot you deliver the interventions needed anyhow? Conclusion Anton requires proper care to help him improve; however, the assessment tools used in assessing Anton was the (GMHAT). This tool uses a computer to diagnose an individual by ranking various aspects of mental health. Some of the aspects include depression, anxiety, and self -harm thoughts. GMHAT is the most appropriate tool because it is simple, and the conclusions can be easily generated based on the patients’ responses. The assessment findings show that Anton may be suffering from anxiety , which could cause his self -harm thought. A further referral was made for Anton in order to deliver effective care. While assessing Anton, the general practitioner has used three principles as a guide. These principles include the principle of courage, transparency, and professional duty of candour. Comment [TB15]: The assignment brief was for you to discuss these issues as they relate to you. References Ali, M., (2017). Communication Skills 1: Benefits of Effective Communication for Patient. 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