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Accessible summary: What is known on the subject?: Sometimes someone needs to be in hospital because they are struggling with their mental health and need some extra support but being in hospital can also be a difficult experience.There are a lot of restrictions in place in hospital, like locked doors, rules to follow and not much choice about what happens to you.Other research has found that these restrictions can feel difficult and stressful for people and so more research is needed about this.We wanted to know what being in hospital felt like for women in particular. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: We interviewed women who were in hospital because of their mental health about what it was like for them in hospital.The women told us that they felt powerless while they were in hospital. They sometimes felt like they were being punished and this could affect their mood and could lead to them hurting themselves.They also said that they were not always listened to by staff, and they found it difficult being away from their family and friends while they were in hospital.The women also told us that being in hospital could sometimes help them to feel safe. What are the implications for practice?: Women should be looked after in hospital in a way that helps them to feel in control of what happens to them.They should be supported to be able to go outside the hospital on leave, to keep in touch with their family and friends, and they should be listened to by staff.A project called "safewards" has suggested some ways for helping to make hospital wards safer. They have suggested that everyone should be clear about what the rules are when they go into hospital and ways that staff could communicate more clearly with the people they are working with. Our research supports using these techniques. Introduction: Inpatient care often involves restrictive interventions such as seclusion and restraint and restrictive practices that limit the person's freedom, rights and daily activities. Restrictive practice has not been the explicit focus in previous research; however, it often appears as an important theme, with participants identifying it can have a detrimental effect on their well‐being. More research specifically on this topic in an inpatient setting is, therefore, needed. Women might be particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of restrictive practices compared to men as women generally occupy less powerful positions in society and more often experience abuse. Aims: The study aimed to explore women's experiences of routine restrictive practices in mental health inpatient settings. Methods: Twenty‐two women who were currently inpatients on mental health wards were interviewed about their experiences of restrictive practices in hospital. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: An overarching theme emerged of powerlessness. Four key sub‐themes were also identified: restrictions perceived as punitive, having no voice, impact of restrictions on relationships and restrictions providing safety and support. Discussion: Although restrictive practices were found to provide the women with a sense of safety, they were also found to impact upon the women's well‐being, leading to increases in self‐harm and over‐reliance on restrictions. Implications for practice: This research highlights the importance of gender‐informed inpatient services for women that foster independence, empowerment and allow women to have their voices heard. Safewards interventions such as clear mutual expectations and soft words could contribute to mitigating the impact of restrictive practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates over the value and contribution of community hospitals are hampered by a lack of empirical assessment of the experience of patients using these services. This paper presents findings from a study which included a focus on patient and family‐carer experiences of community hospitals in England. We adopted a qualitative design involving nine case study hospitals. Data collection included interviews with patients (n = 60), carers (n = 28) and staff (n = 89). Through patients and carers highlighting the value of community hospitals feeling 'close to home', providing holistic and personalised care and supporting them through difficult transitions, the study confirms the importance of functional and interpersonal aspects of care, while also highlighting the importance of social and psychological aspects. These included having family, friends and the community close, maintaining social connections during periods of hospital treatment, and feeling less anonymous and anxious when attending the hospital due to the high levels of familiarity and connectedness. Although the experiences uncovered in this study were not uniformly positive, patients and carers placed a high overall value on the care provided by community hospitals, often arguing that these were distinctive when compared to their experiences of using other health and care services. The study suggests the need to weigh the full range of these dimensions of patient experience—functional, interpersonal, social and psychological—when assessing the role and contribution of community hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to report the findings of the consultation rounds with former patients and health care professionals to inform the design of a qualitative study. We aimed to understand stakeholders' views regarding the relevance of a proposed study looking at the impact of patients witnessing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on other patients in hospital, the appropriateness of the proposed methodology and ethical aspects. We conducted an online survey (n = 22) and telephone interviews (n = 4) with former patients linked to the British Heart Foundation charity and a focus group (n = 15) with hospital health care professionals involved in cardiopulmonary resuscitation activities. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The consultation rounds provided valuable advice on three major themes: conceptual aspects, methodological aspects and practical suggestions. The conceptual aspects were related to the relevance of the proposed study, the emotional impact for participating patients and how the social interaction among patients could influence the witnessing experience. Methodological advice included recruitment strategies and data collection methods such as the use of individual and focus group interviews, the timeframe of interviews with patients and the topics of the interview guides. In the third theme, practical suggestions were provided, such as strategies to advertise the study, improving the public's and participants' engagement throughout the study process and disseminating the findings. Overall, the study proposed in this consultation was considered relevant and worthy by patients and health care professionals to raise awareness and generate new evidence on an unconsidered aspect of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and of patients' hospital experience. These stakeholders' consultation rounds constituted a valuable exercise to design high‐quality research based on a shared vision among researchers, service users and clinicians. They also provided pragmatic advice to inform critical care practice to support patients witnessing cardiopulmonary resuscitation in hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiac rehabilitation is effective in reducing mortality and morbidity, in improving life expectancy and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease. Despite these recognised benefits, women's attendance rates in cardiac rehabilitation programmes remain suboptimal. Aims: This paper details the study that explored factors that influence women's attendance of a phase two cardiac rehabilitation programme in Indonesia Methods: An exploratory qualitative research design was used in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used as the main method of data collection. Data were collected from June to September 2016. Twenty-three women aged between 30 and 66 years were interviewed. Transcribed interview data were analysed using a qualitative framework analysis. Results: Three major themes were inferred from the analysis: (a) a bridge to normal; (b) connecting with others; and (c) contextual factors. The first theme is illustrated by two subthemes: 'making my heart work again' and 'performing social roles'. The second theme was illustrated by the following subthemes: 'exchanging knowledge and experience' and 'developing a give-and-take relationship'. The third theme was illustrated by three subthemes: 'recommendations from the staff', 'family support' and 'availability of health insurance'. Conclusion: Women's attendance in cardiac rehabilitation in Indonesia is mainly influenced by their expectations and desire to be able to resume their previous social roles in the family and society. The findings of this study can assist healthcare professionals to understand better the needs of women and the fit between women's needs and existing cardiac rehabilitation programmes. Such understanding could provide direction for more effective approaches to the cardiac rehabilitation programmes that are currently offered in Indonesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management of consumer-related risk is paramount in a secure forensic mental health facility. However, the consequent risk aversion presents a major barrier to consumers forming sexual relationships in a manner that is open and accepted. Investigation of the views of nurses working in forensic mental health settings on this topic is limited, and even more so for consumers of services. This qualitative exploratory study was undertaken to elicit the views of consumers and nurses about forming sexual relationships within this long-term and secure setting. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 nurses and 10 consumers. The benefits of, and barriers to, sexual relationships was identified as a major theme, and these findings are the focus of this paper. Nurse responses included the subthemes 'supportive factors' and 'potential dangers', reflecting their qualified support. Consumer responses included the subthemes 'therapeutic', 'feeling normal', 'restrictions and barriers', and 'lack of support and secrecy'. The importance of sexual relationships was clearly articulated, as was the difficulties in forming and maintaining them within the forensic setting. More open discussion about this commonly-avoided issue and the education of nurses and other health professionals is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]