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Approximately 25% of the Brazilian population suffers from mental disorders, a prevalence exacerbated by systemic and cultural factors such as socioeconomic inequalities, underfunded mental health services, regional disparities, and persistent stigma. These conditions significantly impact hospital care. Nurses, due to their direct contact with these patients, face challenges ranging from managing physical conditions to handling verbal aggression and psychiatric crises. This study aimed to assess the scientific evidence regarding nursing care for hospitalized patients with psychiatric disorders.
A systematic review with a mixed-methods approach was conducted, registered in PROSPERO (#CRD42022359288) and guided by PRISMA standards. Databases, such as MEDLINE, LILACS, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and BDEnf, were searched using keywords like “Mental disorder,” “Psychiatric health,” “Nursing care,” and “Hospital.” Methodological quality was assessed using JBI and SQUIRE tools. The integration of quantitative and qualitative components occurred through meta-aggregation of qualitative data and frequency-based coding of quantitative themes, allowing thematic convergence across study designs.
Six studies were included. Meta-aggregation revealed frequent terms, such as “Nurse,” “Emergency,” “Screening,” “Patient,” and “Care.” Similarity analysis linked “Nurse” with “perception” and “experience” and “Emergency” with “Screening” and “Mental health,” highlighting the importance of experience and training. Five categories emerged: (1) professional experience (19.05%, showing skill gaps despite experience); (2) caring process (19.05%, stressing efficient screening); (3) barriers and challenges (19.05%, revealing difficulty with comorbidities); (4) training process (19.05%, identifying training deficiencies); and (5) therapeutic interventions (23.81%, discussing restraint use). These percentages refer to the proportional frequency of themes identified across the total number of studies analyzed. For thematic classification, only statistically significant chi-square values (p < 0.05) were considered in the grouping of content.
Nursing care for psychiatric patients in hospitals faces challenges like insufficient training and difficulty managing psychiatric comorbidities. Recommendations include incorporating structured mental health content into nursing curricula and hospital-based continuing education programs. These strategies may guide future healthcare policies in Brazil by improving patient safety, reducing hospital readmissions, and promoting more humane, evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
The findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted education and training to improve nursing care for psychiatric patients in hospital settings.
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