Best Practice Room Assignment for the Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Client
Major
Nursing, BSN
Second Major
Psychology
Submission Type
Poster
Area of Study or Work
Nursing
Faculty Advisor
Wendy Kooken
Location
CNS Atrium
Start Date
4-12-2025 8:30 AM
End Date
4-12-2025 9:30 AM
Abstract
America’s suicide rate and mental health concerns are at an all-time high. The gold standard of treatment for individuals in crisis is acute inpatient psychiatric care which currently faces a nationwide shortage of beds. This shortage puts many people at an elevated risk of death by suicide, and certain subgroups’ risks are even higher. Specifically, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face significant distress or impairment related to their gender identities, which is thought to be related to their above-average suicide rate/attempts. The increased discourse about TGD populations’ specific concerns has led to more options for gender-affirming healthcare, which is thought to help decrease this community’s risk of poor mental health outcomes. However, amid a slew of “anti-trans legislature” and subsequent protests within the past year the future of gender-affirming care seems uncertain. All people deserve access to care that helps them in crisis and minimizes their risk of death/harm, and inpatient psychiatric nurses play an important role in this process. One specific concern related to inpatient treatment is what should be done about patient room assignments while being conscious of specific TGD concerns. Determining inpatient roommates may seem unimportant, but conflicting concerns make considering all patient needs in psychiatric units a complicated process for nurses. Most rooms in hospitals, outside of intensive care, are double occupancy. Because patients on psychiatric units have a myriad of traumas, assigning roommates is a decision to be made with care. Little research exists to inform this important clinical decision-making regarding the increasing need for TGD room assignments. This PRISMA review aims to provide psychiatric nurses with evidence to inform best practices for room assignments of TGD patients on their floor. This review is currently in progress.
Best Practice Room Assignment for the Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Client
CNS Atrium
America’s suicide rate and mental health concerns are at an all-time high. The gold standard of treatment for individuals in crisis is acute inpatient psychiatric care which currently faces a nationwide shortage of beds. This shortage puts many people at an elevated risk of death by suicide, and certain subgroups’ risks are even higher. Specifically, transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals face significant distress or impairment related to their gender identities, which is thought to be related to their above-average suicide rate/attempts. The increased discourse about TGD populations’ specific concerns has led to more options for gender-affirming healthcare, which is thought to help decrease this community’s risk of poor mental health outcomes. However, amid a slew of “anti-trans legislature” and subsequent protests within the past year the future of gender-affirming care seems uncertain. All people deserve access to care that helps them in crisis and minimizes their risk of death/harm, and inpatient psychiatric nurses play an important role in this process. One specific concern related to inpatient treatment is what should be done about patient room assignments while being conscious of specific TGD concerns. Determining inpatient roommates may seem unimportant, but conflicting concerns make considering all patient needs in psychiatric units a complicated process for nurses. Most rooms in hospitals, outside of intensive care, are double occupancy. Because patients on psychiatric units have a myriad of traumas, assigning roommates is a decision to be made with care. Little research exists to inform this important clinical decision-making regarding the increasing need for TGD room assignments. This PRISMA review aims to provide psychiatric nurses with evidence to inform best practices for room assignments of TGD patients on their floor. This review is currently in progress.