title: Shift climate profiles and correlates in acute psychiatric inpatient units.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Inpatient psychiatric units are dynamic in nature, potentially creating a different treatment experience for each person, which may be difficult to quantify. Among the goals of this multi-centre service evaluation project was an assessment of shift-to-shift changes in unit-level events and their impact on the social-emotional environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Over 1 year, various nurse-completed logs were used within the 11 participating Australian psychiatric units (n = 5,546 admissions) to record patient- and unit-level events per shift, including ratings of the overall social-emotional climate using a novel shift climate ratings (SCR) scale (n = 8,176 shifts). These were combined with admission-level patient characteristics to investigate shift climate profiles and correlates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Occupancy rates averaged 88% and two-thirds of admissions were involuntary. The psychometric performance of the SCR scale was considered to be satisfactory (e.g., high internal consistency, unidimensional factor structure, and evidence of discriminant and predictive validity). A series of hierarchical regressions revealed considerable variation in SCR total scores, with poorer climates being significantly associated with: day/afternoon shifts; higher occupancy levels; higher proportions of experienced staff, and male, older, or involuntary patients; higher rates of less serious aggressive incidents; reporting of additional staffing demands; and unit location in a stand-alone psychiatric hospital.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The day-to-day social-emotional climate can have important consequences for patient engagement and recovery. Improved understanding of the role played by unit, staff and patient characteristics, together with routine monitoring, should facilitate the development and evaluation of targeted interventions to reduce adverse incidents and improve the overall social-emotional climate.
authors: Centre for Brain and Mental Health Research (CBMHR), Hunter New England Mental Health, University of Newcastle, PO Box 833, Newcastle, NSW, 2300, Australia. Terry.Lewin@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
authors: Terry J
authors: TJ
authors: Lewin
authors: Vaughan J
authors: VJ
authors: Carr
authors: Agatha M
authors: AM
authors: Conrad
authors: Ketrina A
authors: KA
authors: Sly
authors: Srinivasan
authors: S
authors: Tirupati
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Cohen
authors: Philip B
authors: PB
authors: Ward
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Coombs
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires