title: Supporting the Sexual Intimacy Needs of Patients in a Longer Stay Inpatient Forensic Setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore perceptions of nurses and patients regarding sexual intimacy in a long-term mental health unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative exploratory design including in-depth semi-structured individual interviews with 12 registered nurses and 10 long-term patients of a forensic mental health hospital.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The theme of supporting sexual intimacy was identified and described in this paper and included the following subthemes for nurses: It depends on the setting, need for guidelines and consent, and for patients-it depends on the setting; and need for support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that current guidelines regarding sexual intimacy in acute inpatient settings may not be appropriate in long-term facilities, with a need for guidelines to specifically address this setting. Furthermore, support for sexual intimacy needs of patients was identified as a strong need for patients and they believed not currently met. Nurses have an important role to play as part of their holistic approach to care and barriers to providing this aspect of care must be overcome to ensure patients' rights are respected.
authors.affiliation: Victorian Centre for Forensic Mental Health (Forensicare), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.|Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Practice, University of Canberra, Faculty of Health and ACT Health, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. brenda.happell@canberra.edu.au.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Happell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D028701:Patient Rights; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012725:Sexual Behavior
keywords: Consent; forensic; mental health; nurse; nursing; patient; sexual relationship