The experience of being in ICU can result in psychological distress and mental healthdifficulties, plus, a proportion of those admitted to ICU will have already beenexperiencing difficulties with their mental health. Measures should be implemented toguarantee that healthcare staff working in ICUs have the appropriate knowledge andskills to support patients with mental health difficulties, alongside positive attitudes toworking with this group. Research suggests that healthcare staff do not always feel7confident in their knowledge and skills, and patients can suffer as a result of negativestaff attitudes. Limited research has been done to explore the knowledge, skills andattitudes of ICU doctors towards working with those with mental illness. This mixedmethods study explored both doctors’ knowledge, skills and attitudes using an onlinequestionnaire and the experience of four doctors in greater detail through semistructured interviews. Statistically significant correlations were found betweenknowledge, skills and attitudes scores. Doctors who had been qualified for longer hadlower scores of self-reported knowledge than more newly qualified staff, and doctorswho had attended more training in mental health topics had higher self-reportedknowledge and skills scores. The interviews were analysed using reflexive thematicanalysis and three themes were created. The first theme, ‘Change is futile’ related toa frustration towards mental health teams and a sense of hopelessness towardslikelihood of change for patients. The second, ‘Mental health: Luxury or necessity?’explored physical health being the priority, a stuck culture and the use of sedation tomanage risk. The final theme was, in contrast, around ‘Being human’ and theimportance of good communication. Recommendations have been made in regard toboth clinical implications and future research, including research into and theimplementation of training on mental health for ICU doctors, and patients’experiences of how their mental health is responded to and supported in ICU.
| Date of Award | 10 Sept 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Awarding Institution | |
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| Supervisor | Rachel Paskell (Supervisor) & Josh Valoroso (Supervisor) |
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Doctorate in Clinical Psychology: Main Research Portfolio: 1) What do we know about the prevalence of those admitted to ICU due to self-harm or attempted suicide? A systematic review and meta-analysis; 2) Evaluating team formulation on a specialist dementia inpatient ward; 3) Exploring the knowledge, skills and attitudes of ICU doctors towards working with patients with mental illness – a mixed methods study.
da Silva, S. (Author). 10 Sept 2025
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)