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VOLUME 3 , ISSUE 2 ( July-December, 2019 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge of Staff Nurses Regarding Forensic Psychiatry at Selected Hospitals, Amritsar

Amandeep K Bajwa, Rupinder Kaur, Shabnam, Shivam Sharma, Simranjeet Kaur, Simranjit Kaur, Sumanjeet Kaur

Keywords : Forensic psychiatry, Knowledge, Staff nurses

Citation Information : Bajwa AK, Kaur R, S, Sharma S, Kaur S, Kaur S, Kaur S. Descriptive Study to Assess the Knowledge of Staff Nurses Regarding Forensic Psychiatry at Selected Hospitals, Amritsar. Curr Trends Diagn Treat 2019; 3 (2):56-58.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10055-0075

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 01-12-2019

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2019; The Author(s).


Abstract

Introduction: Forensic psychiatry is a subspecialty of psychiatry that focuses on the interface between psychiatry and the law. Nurse practising in this unique specialty may apply their skills to the care of both victims and perpetrators of crime and in a variety of settings including primary care facilities, hospitals, and correctional institutions. Material and methods: The descriptive study design was applied to assess the level of knowledge on forensic psychiatry among staff nurses at selected hospitals, Amritsar. Sixty staff nurses were selected using convenient sampling technique. The tool contained demographic and clinical variables and a self-structured knowledge questionnaire regarding forensic psychiatry, which was distributed to collect the data. Results: The results of the study show the level of knowledge of staff nurses regarding forensic psychiatry, revealing that 39(65%) had excellent knowledge and 21(35%) had good knowledge with an average mean and standard deviation (SD) of 21.38 ± 3.23. The findings of the study conclude that staff nurses working in psychiatry and critical care units have less knowledge regarding forensic psychiatry. Conclusion: There is a need to arrange in-service education regarding forensic psychiatry and also a need for continued and intensified efforts to ensure that staff nurses who are involved in providing quality healthcare services must acquire knowledge and skills necessary about legal and ethical issues and the effects of misuse of law and negligence of nursing practice.


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