Fighting mental health stigma in the education of Dutch paramedics.

Virginie van Boven, MASenior Lecturer, Nurse Practitioner, HU University Of Applied Sciences UtrechtReinier van Arkel groep, The Netherlands

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Virginie van Boven, MASenior Lecturer, Bachelor Allied Medical Care, HU University Of Applied Sciences, UtrechtNurse practitioner mental healthcare, Reinier van Arkel groep, Den BoschThe Netherlands

. Den Bosch

The Netherlands

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What I would like to share with you:

• Why it is important to improve the education on psychiatry for Dutch paramedics?

• Educational program in our new bachelor study.• How we fight mental health stigma in the educational

program and why that is so important.

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Student and patient cases

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Improving education for paramedics

• Lack of knowledge

• Duality between physical and mental health care

• Working experience in psychiatry

• Increased need for acute mental healthcare in Dutch society

• Bachelor / post-bachelor degree of education

• Young people with ambition

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Improving education for paramedics

2010Start Bachelor Allied Medical Healthcare (BAMH) at Utrecht University for Applied Sciences

Learning objectives in the course

• Recognizing psychiatric problems (pathology)

• Medication

• Skills for examination and recognition of psychiatric symptoms

• Law and legislation about psychiatry

• Communication skills

• Collaboration in the chain of care

• Stigma, what it causes it and how to decrease it?

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Educational activities in the course

Lectures

Workshops

Skills training

Coaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam8

Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

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Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

Lectures• 1: Introduction, stigma, chain of care• 2: Anxiety disorders, mood disorders• 3: Psychotic disorders• 4: Personality disorders , Eating disorders• 5: Law and justice• 6: Suïcide prevention and guidelines

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Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

Workshops

• 1: Acute psychiatric service

• 2: How to deal with self harm?

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Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

Skills training

• 1: Psychiatric examination

• 2: Communication with peoplewith psychoses and/or mania.

• 3: Communication with people with anxiety, panic and depression

• 4: Difficult characters12

Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

Coaching sessions

• 2 group sessions

• 2 individual sessions

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Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

Apprenticeship

• 8 day apprenticeship on an acute psychiatric wardor in emergency mental health service.

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Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

Exam

• Oral presentation about a patient case and interview in apprenticeship for teacher and students.

• Written report

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Educational activities in the courseLectures Workshops Skills

trainingCoaching sessions

Apprenticeship

Exam

Course is part of a 4 year program

Repetition

Extra lectures on•Drugs and addiction•Dementia •Brain injury

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Course Psychiatry BAMH

• Surprised that mental health is part of the job• Assumptions and beliefs

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Assumptions and beliefs

Psychosis = danger

People who use drugs have a weak character

Suïcide is an egoïst act

Self harm = attention seeking / never suicidal

This is not about me or about us

Poor people, let’s be extraordinary friendly!

• Fear for agression• Fear for making wrong clinical decisions

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Fear

• Modern literature and internet sources• New visions, facts and figures• Teachers working in the field

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Quality of learning material

• Stories of people with lived experience.

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Patient perspectives

• Stories of people with lived experience.

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Patient perspectives

Los Years, Bas Labruyère

• Stories of people with lived experience.

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Patient perspectives

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Patient perspectives • Anti stigma campaign material

• Anti stigma campaign material‘I had a black dog, his name was depression’

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Patient perspectives

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/index.cfm

• Roll playing with training actors

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Teaching methods

• Socratic dialogue

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Teaching methods

• Experience psychoses

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Teaching methods

• Own mental health

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Feelings and preconceptions

It’s Student’s Disease!!

• Present mental health problems

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Students’ mental health

• Prevention PTSD among paramedics

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Students’ mental health

• Call in case of problems

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Students’ mental health

Student op Stage

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Fun and down-to-earth

• Serious attitude versus humour

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Fun and down-to-earth

• Risk of exaggeration, no drama

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Experiences with the program

• Students’ opinions• Field• Teachers experiences and ambitions

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• Improvement of the education on psychiatry for Dutch paramedics is important because of their lack of knowledge about psychiatry, the presence of stigma about mental health problems, and changing needs in Dutch society.

Conclusion (1)

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• Paramedics influenced by mental health stigma are probably less able to communicate effectively with a patient, recognize mental health problems and offer goodclinical care to the patient.

• Paramedics are at higher risk for mental health problemsthemselves.

Conclusion (2)

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• The Bachelor Allied Medical Care of HU University of Applied Sciences offers a specially designed educational program about psychiatry to junior paramedics.

• Fighting mental health stigma among junior paramedics is possible by acknowledging present preconceptions andoffer correct information to reduce them.

Conclusion (3)

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• Conclusions are practice based.

• HU University of Applied Sciences will keep on developing this educational program by researching the effects of the program in the future.

Conclusion (4)

Fighting mental health stigma in the education of Dutch paramedics.

Virginie van Bovenvirginie.vanboven@hu.nl

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Virginie van Bovenvirginie.vanboven@hu.nl

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