Volume 1, Issue 1
|
|
|
After being completely blown out of the water from receiving this kind of ‘treatment’ I began visiting the college book departments to understand why I was treated so badly.” |
| |
 |
| Would you like to be on the PIN
mailing list? If so, write to:
Kathi Stringer: |
 |
| 1—About This Writer.
Cont...
Then one day, when I was at the lowest part in my life, when I needed help the most, when I was severely depressed, I was involuntary hospitalized. I was not prepared to be called crazy and coo-coo by inpatient mental health staff. Now, keep in mind; I came from a competitive part of the world. I was used to administrative meetings, respect, and equal form of communication. I had no idea what went on in these sorts of places. The only thing I knew of mental hospitals was what I saw on television. I was accustomed to mutual respect from business acquaintances. Not this. It wasn’t the patients that made the place wacko, but some of the staff. This was a different world. I was not prepared for name-calling, and the condescending communication. I wasn’t prepared for the blank-faces on some of the staff, as though they wore a masque. Some adopted the attitude that I didn’t exist because I objected to their machine-like treatment of me as a non-person, or their off-handed insults. My self-esteem was shot after these types of interactions. After being completely blown out of the water
from receiving this kind of ‘treatment’ I began visiting the
college book departments to understand why I was treated so badly. I
found out quickly that staff behavior was quite different than what
they were teaching in the schools. I decided to dive deeper into the
phenomena of book treatment modalities vs. staffs’ What did I find out? A common theme was lacking. The root of the problem appeared to be from weak management which stemmed from lack of high-energy training. Staff management was deficient in areas of encouragement and support to deliver effective treatment modalities to boost team moral toward patient satisfaction. It simply did not exist as demonstrated by the employee performance on the job. [1] APA—American Psychiatric Association
|
| 2—The First Step,
Trial Run
I
figured the best way to reach those receptive for information would
be through the Internet. I
|
| Roadmaps to
Change
Why would a QIC procedure manual be helpful? It would explain how performance improvement begins. It would diminish the ambiguities associated with the function of QIC. It would establish QIC policy & guidelines. It would help explain and simplify complicated and confusing data. It would help explain the importance of collecting data that is accurate, appropriate and reflects the entire process. It would identify & legitimize a comprehensive set of resources available for brainstorming and problem solving. This would include the availability of documentation that depicts the administration’s internal quality procedures, and sub procedures when necessary to identify the root causes of gaps in quality and performance. Perhaps unclear job expectations, lack of performance feedback, poor motivation, weak management or leadership, deficient knowledge and skills, inadequate facilities, equipment or supplies, lack of client and community focus. A handbook would universally act as a teaching aid.Note: QIC = Quality Improvement Committee Per Title 9, 1810.440 |
mistreatment
on the job. Why was this happening? I continued to search. However,
the in-depth information I was seeking was not available at the
local colleges. With some research, I subscribed to the scholarly
journals from the APA [1], and their book catalogs. I invested in
scores of books from the prestigious Aronson publishers, and also
APA video lectures of cutting edge treatment modalities (Gabbard).
put together Kathi’s Mental Health Review. I began writing
research papers in hopes to reach, and encourage staff to try
effective treatment modalities. For example, I addressed the
importance of building a strong therapeutic alliance to improve
treatment compliance. I wrote about supplying the patient with new
positive models through role-identification, and methods to
deescalate the situation. The results are encouraging. Professionals
that are using these suggestions are noticing performance
improvement. They are noticing the heavy atmosphere lift off the
unit, and they are encouraged with new effective tools. I am
receiving responses and requests for permissions to republish my
work at universities, family-to-family support groups and other
institutions.