Research Briefs / Volume 2

Reduction in Afternoon Seclusion and Physical Restraint Minutes Following the Introduction of Additional Daily Snack

Volume 2, Issue 3

February 2025

Closing the Gap: The implementation of an afternoon snack was shown to decrease staff reliance on seclusion and restraints in a psychiatric inpatient setting. By providing patients with structured and supportive intervention, the hospital was able to manage challenging behaviors more effectively while improving safety for both patients and staff.

Promoting Positive Patient Outcomes: This intervention not only decreased seclusion and restraint use but also improved patient satisfaction. The snack program offered a small but meaningful way to engage patients, help them manage hunger-related stress, and established a calmer environment that promoted better overall health outcomes for patients.

Optimizing Resources: The snack program is a cost-effective intervention that requires minimal resources but delivers many benefits. By reducing the need for seclusion and restraints, the hospital was able to improve both patient care and staff safety, optimizing the use of resources while enhancing the therapeutic environment.

Assessing Tobacco Treatment Engagement in Assertive Community Treatment Programs

Volume 2, Issue 4

April 2025

Closing the Gap: The prevalence of tobacco use among individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) is nearly twice that of the general population. Individuals with SMI die several years earlier, on average, compared to individuals without mental illness, and smoking is a major contributing factor. There is often a lack of tobacco treatment provision and utilization in mental and behavioral health settings. This is particularly evident within Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) programs that provide services for people living with SMI.

Promoting Positive Patient Outcomes:

ACT providers felt capable of providing treatment and showed strong intentions to deliver tobacco treatment. However, providers felt a lack of social or professional support for providing treatment. The ACT consumers report positive attitudes and intentions towards engaging in tobacco treatment but are not necessarily planning to do so. Consumers were infrequently advised to stop tobacco use. Additionally, consumers are exposed to hazardous levels of secondhand smoke.

Optimizing Resources:

Promoting tobacco-free policies and tobacco treatment within ACT programs increases the likelihood that patients will stop tobacco use. This decreases financial burden and increases health outcomes for patients.

Factors Influencing Arabs’ Attitudes toward Mental Health Care and their Intentions to Seek Mental Health Services: A Systematic Review

Volume 2, Issue 5

June 2025

Closing the Gap: Arabs living in the United States may face stressors and difficulties that may affect their mental health. However, research has shown that they are less likely to seek professional mental health treatment. One way to bridge the gap is to understand and identify the barriers to seeking help.

Promoting Positive Patient Outcomes: The purpose of this systematic review was to pinpoint factors that impact Arab attitudes toward mental health care and their willingness to seek it. The results of the systematic review were lifted onto the socio-ecological model to show the layered factors associated with attitudes towards mental health care and intentions to seek mental health care. Psychiatric-mental health nurses may use these factors to develop strategies to increase and promote Arab utilization of mental health services. An increase in mental health care utilization may help alleviate the mental health challenges faced by Arab communities.

Optimizing Resources: Pinpointing factors that impact Arab attitudes toward mental health care can help inform new approaches to engage Arab communities in mental health care. Addressing these factors could increase the likelihood that Arabs will seek mental health care which may improve health outcomes.

Enhancing Provider Delivery of Tobacco Treatment Within the Inpatient Psychiatric Setting

Volume 2, Issue 6

August 2025

Closing the Gap: Individuals living with mental illness use tobacco at disproportionately high rates compared with individuals without mental illness. This contributes to significant health disparities. This study explored the factors influencing Mental Health Professional’ intentions and delivery of tobacco treatment for patients living with mental illness in an inpatient psychiatric setting.

Promoting Positive Patient Outcomes: Increasing Mental Health Professionals’ frequency of tobacco treatment delivery can promote positive patient outcomes.

Optimizing Resources: This study utilized a low-cost survey. The findings of this study are intended to increase MHP utilization and implementation of tobacco treatment interventions among psychiatric patients who use tobacco. Lowering tobacco use among patients would decrease patient expenses such as medical costs and the cost of nicotine products.

Read the full research article here.

What is the relationship between the experience of trauma and substance use among health care workers?

Volume 2, Issue 7

October 2025

Closing the Gap: Health care workers may experience traumatic events in the workplace. This study sought to discover if health care workers use tobacco and alcohol after traumatic experiences.

Promoting Positive Patient Outcomes: A first step in providing health care workers with needed support is identifying their coping mechanisms for trauma. Seeking positive outlets for trauma will lead to increased personal health and greater ability of health care workers to effectively deliver care to patients.

Optimizing Resources: Our low-cost survey showed that there is a relationship between trauma and risky tobacco and alcohol use among health care workers. It is important to be aware of these relationships and to identify those most at risk and provide support when a health care worker experiences a traumatic event.