title: The efficacy of a nursing challenge to patients: testing a new intervention to decrease self-harm behaviour in severe personality disorder.
abstract: This paper describes the study of a new intervention, which was intended to increase therapeutic engagement with patients and to decrease self-harm behaviour. As a result of nursing observations in a unit that specialized in severe personality disorders, a psychodynamic perspective to treatment was introduced in the form of a nursing challenge. The intervention was evaluated in a new service for young adults at a psychiatric hospital in the south of England, as part of a clinical research apprenticeship. The care and treatment of persons with severe personality disorders present a major challenge to coherent and cohesive teamwork. A test and retrospective comparison study is described and its findings reported. Data from the study point to the need for more than a single challenge, to achieve a sustained reduction in self-harm, along with staff training to ensure working knowledge of a particular framework.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cremin
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lemmer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davison
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control