‘Psychiatric nursing has come a long way’

THE historical background of psychiatric nursing in Barbados was given by Sandra Barrow, Deputy Principal Nursing Officer (Ag) as she delivered the annual Eunice Gibson Memorial lecture on Wednesday night.

Speaking at the Harcourt Lewis Training Centre, Barrow took the audience on the journey back to the 1880s and the pervading thought that the mentally ill were a product of Obeah, demon-possessed or affected by the full moon, hence the term
‘lunatics’.

She noted that Jenkins Ville was opened back in 1893 with 250 patients and mused that back then nurses were paid only $10 monthly. It was back in 1927 that physical and chemical methods were introduced to make patients more controllable and drugs were introduced in the 1940s.

In the 1990s the concept of a halfway house was introduced but was not very well received. The quarter way house was opened in 2012 at the Psychiatric Hospital where the patients are managed by a nurse in a more controlled environment and more structured than a halfway house in the community.

Barrow highlighted the strides made by psychiatric nurses professionally and the development in psychiatric nursing which became more evidence based care, bringing a more holistic approach to treatment and community-based care.

The Child Guidance operations in the polyclinics was introduced in 2015 and Barrow reported that the Sandy Lane Trust has graciously consented to build a new wing for children, noting children of varying age groups exist with behavioural disorders.

She noted that the 2015-2020 strategic plan of the hospital includes cost containment without sacrificing effectiveness; the establishment of a customer-centric hospital environment, the promotion of continuous learning and growth opportunities for employees and external stakeholders, partners and constituents, and the promotion of continuous learning opportunities. (JH)