Purpose: The purpose of the study was to summarize the experiences of African psychiatric nurses in their workplace by examining the findings of existing qualitative studies.
Methods: Eleven studies published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, between 1998 and 2016, which explored psychiatric nurses' experiences in Africa, were included.
Findings: After meta-aggregation, five key findings were identified: 1) organization and management, 2) perceptions of professional safety and insecurity, 3) relationship with the patient, 4) emotional experiences and 5) recommendations for improvement.
Discussion: The findings in this study highlight the stressful nature of the work climate of the psychiatric nurse in South Africa. More focus on improving working conditions and providing support is necessary to increase the quality of care for psychiatric mental health patients and their nurse providers.
Keywords: Africa; Mental health; Meta-synthesis; Psychiatric nursing; Psychiatry; Qualitative systematic review; South Africa.
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