Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55628
Title: An evaluation of the work of a child and adolescent in-patient psychiatric unit (in Malta).
Authors: Saliba, Marianne
Keywords: Child psychopathology
Mental illness -- Malta
Children and adults
Children -- Hospital care
Mentally ill -- Hospitals
Issue Date: 2008
Citation: Saliba, M. (2008). An evaluation of the work of a child and adolescent in-patient psychiatric unit (in Malta) (Bachelor's dissertation).
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to carry out an evaluation of the work done by The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric In-Patient Unit in Malta, during the first fifteen years of its functioning. The Unit opened in 1992 as a mixed gender, short to medium stay unit, offering therapeutic service to youngsters aged 11 - 16 years with behavioural and emotional problems treatable in an open unit and psychiatric problems. It also provides day care services. The researcher adopted an 'outcomes research' design as this allows for use of past data to measure the effectiveness of a service. The sample used was the number of youngsters n=161 who had made use of the services of this unit during the years 1992 - 2007 and who had totalled 203 admissions in all. A standard format for data collection was designed so that only the necessary demographic and clinical data was retrieved from the medical files. The Medical Record Section at Mt Carmel Hospital - Malta provided the data source for this research. Permissions to carry out such research were granted by, the IHC Board of Ethics, the University Research Ethics Committee, the Data Protection Board and the Director of Psychiatry at Mt Carmel Hospital The results revealed a moderate number of young people being admitted throughout the years with a significant increase in the latter five years. The age, on admission, for males has reduced. A key result was a marked increase in 'behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually in childhood and adolescence' amongst the male youngsters during the most recent five years, as well as a steady increase among the female youngsters throughout the whole fifteen years. There were 75.6% males and 73.9% females who had a successful outcome returning to the community. However, 9.6% males and 18.2% females had to be transferred to an adult ward as an end to their stay at the Unit. The study indicated the need for more support services at schools and at residential programs in the community to help such youngsters reintegrate into society. While the Unit would benefit from an increased staff- patient ratio, it is important to have more specialized staff training to cater for the increasing number of youngsters admitted for 'behavioural and emotional disorders' together with more resources to provide a more intensive program which meets the needs of these youngsters during their stay
Description: B.SC.(HONS)MENTAL HEALTH NURSING
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/55628
Appears in Collections:Dissertations - FacHSc - 2008
Dissertations - FacHScMH - 2008

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