Authors (including presenting author) :
Ting KS
Affiliation :
E2, Tuen Mun Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Castle Peak Hospital
Introduction :
Adolescence is a crucial period for developing and maintaining social and emotional habits important for mental well-being. Adolescents face different stress and challenges as they grow up. They are a particularly vulnerable group for the onset of mental health problems. WHO estimated 10–20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions.
Positive thinking is a mental technique as the method to achieve health and happiness. A person with positive thinking mentality anticipates happiness, health and believes that they can overcome any obstacle and difficulty.
Therefore, promoting positive thinking to adolescents with mental health problems can strengthen their resilience to stress. Helping them equip with positive thinking would be brought benefit to their personal, social and academic functioning. However, individual and group training has been provided for patients in promoting their coping abilities at the in-patient service, day-patient service and psychosocial nurse clinic service in the E2 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, but many of them consistently fail to apply the learnt skills in daily life. Therefore, visual cues can help children to recall and utilize the learnt skills and strategies. The project, named as “Positive thinking and positive life” bookmark for promoting patient’s coping competence was implemented in 2019.
Objectives :
1. To instil positive mindset and enhance resilience to stress of patients
2. To provide portable reminder for patients as a guide to recall and utilize the learnt coping skills and strategies in daily livings.
Methodology :
The identified practice gap was discussed with supervisor and the feasibility of the project was also explored. The written proposal for applying the fund was submitted to the Patient Empowerment Programme, New Territories West Cluster and the application was successfully accepted by the captioned programme in late of May. The draft of the bookmarks was circulated to colleagues for comment in September. The bookmarks were finalized in late of September 2019.
Result & Outcome :
“Positive thinking and positive life” bookmarks were produced. Total 6400 bookmarks with 8 themes were produced. 800 patients in ward and psychosocial nurse clinic would be benefited in three years. These bookmarks have been used by nursing colleagues in ward and psychosocial nurse clinic since October 2019. Nurses welcome the use of the bookmarks as the teaching tool to do psycho-education on positive thinking and effective coping. Patients received the bookmarks are glad to have the colourful bookmarks with positive motto to remind them to utilize the learnt coping skills and strategies in daily livings.
