Mental health nurses' knowledge of providing physical health care: analysing educational needs in an Irish independent mental health service

Background/aims: Many people living with serious mental illness experience physical health issues, making it important to adopt an integrated approach to care. Assessing the training needs of mental health nurses in providing physical health care can help to implement appropriate training in holistic care. This study aimed to understand mental health nurses' perceptions of knowledge and confidence in delivering physical health care to determine the type of training requirements they require personally and as a group. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used for the study. An anonymous survey with Likert-type questions was sent to all nurses in an Irish independent mental health service. Open-ended questions were thematically analysed. Ethical approval was received. Results: The largest perceived gaps in physical healthcare knowledge related to the delivery of intravenous fluids (64.8%), vascular skin changes (58.1%), interpretation of bloods (45.9%) and wound care (41.8%). Three themes were identified from the thematic analysis: value of interactive sessions, method and frequency of educational sessions, and mental health upskilling. Conclusions: This study found that there was a need for flexible and consistent training for mental health nurses to effectively provide physical health care for people in hospitals experiencing mental ill health. Implications for practice: This study highlights the need for consistent, flexible, and skills-based physical health training to strengthen mental health nurse competence in core areas such as wound care, diabetes management, intravenous therapy and interpretation of blood results. Strengthening these skills can enhance early recognition of physical deterioration, improve holistic care, and ultimately support safer outcomes for mental health service users. Further studies evaluating the effectiveness of educational modules relating to physical healthcare should be conducted, examining their effectiveness both in terms of nurse- and patient-related outcomes.