title: Protected engagement time in mental health inpatient units.
abstract: Protected engagement time in mental health inpatient units is a fixed period each day during which administrative activities and visiting are suspended so that nurses can focus on individual patient contact. However, there are a number of barriers to implementing this strategy effectively, which include high workloads, staff shortages and lack of supervision to support therapeutic interventions. This article discusses some of these barriers and suggests that managers of acute psychiatric units should ensure that patients have appropriate emotional support, and that skilled mental health nurses should be supported to devote time to therapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London.
authors.forename: Niall
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McCrae
mesh_terms: D006757:Hospital Units; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D006113:United Kingdom