How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms?

Background Nurses, both general and mental health, are likely to come into contact with people with PTSD; with approximately 8% of men and 20% of women who experience a traumatic event going on to develop PTSD; and a wide range of traumatic events that can lead to the development of PTSD including:...

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Main Author: Adams, Collette
Format: Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2012
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/26965/
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author Adams, Collette
author_facet Adams, Collette
author_sort Adams, Collette
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Background Nurses, both general and mental health, are likely to come into contact with people with PTSD; with approximately 8% of men and 20% of women who experience a traumatic event going on to develop PTSD; and a wide range of traumatic events that can lead to the development of PTSD including: assault, road-traffic accidents, traumatic childbirth and being given a life threatening diagnosis of cancer. The NICE guidelines advise that individuals suffering from PTSD should be offered either trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or eye movement desensitisation reprocessing as first-line treatments. However, not all sufferers are suitable for these treatments; if they are not yet ready to discuss their trauma, or if they have very high levels of distress or disassociation. Nurses will still need to assist these patients in managing their symptoms. Aim To review the literature on PTSD and identify what nurses can do to help patients cope with the specific symptoms that are causing them the most difficulties. Results The review highlights how culture influences the expression and treatment needs of PTSD sufferers. It also demonstrated how neurobiological changes in PTSD can inform nursing care. The review identified several components of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation reprocessing that were associated with a reduction in PTSD symptoms, which can be used by nurses to support patients with PTSD. Conclusion There are clear implications for nursing practice, and the review suggests how nurses can help PTSD sufferers who are not yet ready for trauma-focused treatments; as well as how they can support patients that are engaged in trauma-focused therapy by reinforcing key principles of treatment.
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spelling nottingham-269652017-10-19T13:49:58Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/26965/ How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms? Adams, Collette Background Nurses, both general and mental health, are likely to come into contact with people with PTSD; with approximately 8% of men and 20% of women who experience a traumatic event going on to develop PTSD; and a wide range of traumatic events that can lead to the development of PTSD including: assault, road-traffic accidents, traumatic childbirth and being given a life threatening diagnosis of cancer. The NICE guidelines advise that individuals suffering from PTSD should be offered either trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or eye movement desensitisation reprocessing as first-line treatments. However, not all sufferers are suitable for these treatments; if they are not yet ready to discuss their trauma, or if they have very high levels of distress or disassociation. Nurses will still need to assist these patients in managing their symptoms. Aim To review the literature on PTSD and identify what nurses can do to help patients cope with the specific symptoms that are causing them the most difficulties. Results The review highlights how culture influences the expression and treatment needs of PTSD sufferers. It also demonstrated how neurobiological changes in PTSD can inform nursing care. The review identified several components of trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation reprocessing that were associated with a reduction in PTSD symptoms, which can be used by nurses to support patients with PTSD. Conclusion There are clear implications for nursing practice, and the review suggests how nurses can help PTSD sufferers who are not yet ready for trauma-focused treatments; as well as how they can support patients that are engaged in trauma-focused therapy by reinforcing key principles of treatment. 2012 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/26965/1/Tilte_page.pdf Adams, Collette (2012) How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms? [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] (Unpublished)
spellingShingle Adams, Collette
How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms?
title How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms?
title_full How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms?
title_fullStr How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms?
title_full_unstemmed How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms?
title_short How Can Nurses Help People with PTSD Cope with Their Symptoms?
title_sort how can nurses help people with ptsd cope with their symptoms?
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/26965/