Psychiatric Assessment 3.

Assess insight
Assessment  Become an ally
Referred to as psychosocial assessment in  Set the therapeutic goal
psychiatric mental health nursing  goals discussed with the patient
 Construct a picture of the client’s current therapeutic goals
emotional state, mental capacity and behavioral 4. Show expertise
function 5. Establish authority: ability to handle the patient
Factors in Influencing Assessment  Authoritarian
 Client participation and feedback  Facilitative/supportive
 Client’s health status 6. Balance roles
 Client’s previous experiences / misconceptions
 The empathic listener patient is at ease
about health care
 sensitive to the patient’s suffering express
 Client’s ability to understand
compassion
 Nurse’s attitude and approach
How to Conduct the Interview?
ENVIRONMENT
 Comfortable, private, safe for client and nurse
 Fairly quiet with few distractions
 Isolated location
INPUT FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS

The nurse must conduct at least part of the
assessment without others
 Make effort to assess client in privacy in cases
of suspected abuse
HOW TO PHRASE QUESTIONS

Use open-ended questions

Use direct questions if client cannot organize
thoughts
 Use nonjudgmental tone and language
Rapport
- how the interviewer and his patient relate
HOW TO ESTABLISH RAPPORT
1. Put the patient and yourself at ease
 Small talk
 Recognize the signs: territorial (movement in
the new territory), behavioral, emotional
(posture, facial expression, gestures, eye
contact, tone of voice), verbal (vocabulary and
metaphors)
 Respond to signs: verbal, gestures
2. Find the suffering
 Show compassion: facts, associated emotions
 Respond with empathy: genuine, spontaneous,
accurate