What the research says — in plain English.
Neurons Away collaborates with researchers and program leaders to develop engaging, evidence-informed materials. Here’s the study behind our group sessions: what it did, what it found, and what it did not establish.
On importance of new group therapy for decrease of agitation during the critical period of nursing shift changes on an acute psychiatric inpatient floor
Authors: Luba Leontieva, Sally Safadi, Pratik Jain, Sarah Tabi, Cheryl Roe, Derek Empey (SUNY Upstate Medical University Departments of Psychiatry, Public Health & Preventive Medicine, and Pharmacy; Neurons Away LLC)
Published: Journal of Hospital Administration, 2020, Vol. 9, No. 2, p. 41 (published online May 11, 2020) · DOI: 10.5430/jha.v9n2p41
Citation: Leontieva L, Safadi S, Jain P, Tabi S, Roe C, Empey D. On importance of new group therapy for decrease of agitation during the critical period of nursing shift changes on an acute psychiatric inpatient floor. J Hosp Adm. 2020;9(2):41. doi:10.5430/jha.v9n2p41
Read the original publication ↗The plain-English summary
Agitation is known to rise around nursing shift changes, when caregivers change over. This observational study took place on the 23-bed acute inpatient psychiatric unit of an academic hospital in Central New York (SUNY Upstate). The unit ran an interactive, art-based Neurons Away mental-flexibility group during the shift change, five days a week (Monday to Friday) at 4 p.m., for 1 to 1.5 hours. Sessions used worksheets, creative prompts, drawing, writing, and group discussion.
The team tracked group attendance, agitation incidents, as-needed medication use, restraints, and seclusions. Patients circled their emotions (happy, sad, angry) on Likert-type scales before and after each session.
What it found
- Who took part: 132 patients took part in the group, and 80 had enough data for the before-and-after analysis. The average daily census was 17 patients, and average attendance was 41% of the daily census.
- As-needed (PRN) medications: 576 administrations in the month before the group, compared with 120 across the three months of the group. The authors report that agitation medications fell almost seven times, anxiety medications four times, and total as-needed medications almost five times.
- Restraints and seclusions: restraints went from 7 in the month before the project to 3 during its three months, and seclusions from 8 to 1.
- Emotions: after their first session, patients reported an increase in happy feelings (mean = 0.46, SD = 0.978), a decrease in sad feelings (mean = 0.44, SD = 1.078), and a decrease in anger (mean = 1.15, SD = 1.984). The largest effect was in anger.
- Authors’ conclusion: the interactive group sessions were well received by patients and staff and helped decrease agitation and medication administration. The authors recommend interactive mental-flexibility groups on acute psychiatric units, especially during nursing shift change.
What it did not establish
This was a single-site observational project with no randomized control group. It compared a one-month period before the group with a three-month period during it, and the review board determined it did not meet the definition of human-subjects research. It suggests the sessions were practical and welcomed, but it does not prove that the sessions — or any Neurons Away book — treat anxiety, depression, dementia, or any other condition. Our books are creative-enrichment and educational resources, not medical treatment.
A case study from the unit
Dr. Luba Leontieva, Medical Director at SUNY Upstate Medical University, was looking for a program that would engage patients in new, expressive ways. She brought in Sally Safadi to run Neurons Away sessions on her unit. Attendance was notably higher than for previous programs, and staff observed a calmer overall mood on the unit.
“This patient left a completely different person than the one that was admitted.”— Dr. Luba Leontieva, describing a patient who engaged with the sessions and Fill in the Space
Further reading
- Stuckey, H. L., & Nobel, J. (2010). The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 254–263.
- Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of the value and impact of the arts in healthcare settings (critical literature review).