title: Essential components of the short-term psychiatric unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  How nurses can meet the priority needs of the acute care clients during inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations that average five days.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assist acute care nursing staff in reorganizing their caregiving to maximize therapeutic gains of clients in a minimum period of time
  
  
  METHODS
  Personal experience.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Success in the short-term unit depends not only on the ability of nurses to stabilize clients in crisis, but also on their ability to provide linkage with aftercare services so the therapeutic process can be continued.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ashby
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D011321:Primary Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000458:organization & administration*