Attitudes of nurses and technicians about forensic patients

Uvod: Forenzički pacijenti počinitelji su teških kaznenih djela u neubrojivom stanju. Kao i većina psihijatrijskih bolesnika često su stigmatizirani u društvu i to zbog teških dijagnoza, dugotrajnog liječenja te otežane resocijalizacije. Forenzički pacijenti nosioci su "dvostruke" stigme, odnosno osim stigme mentalne bolesti, obilježeni su i samim kaznenim djelom kojeg su počinili. Cjelokupno društvo pa tako i medicinske sestre/tehničari te ostali zdravstveni radnici često imaju neutemeljene predrasude i negativne stavove prema njima te ih smatraju opasnim, nesposobnim i neizlječivim. Cilj istraživanja: Glavni cilj ovog istraživanja je utvrditi postoji li razlika u stavovima prema forenzičkim pacijentima medicinskih sestra i tehničara koji rade s forenzičkim pacijentima u odnosu na medicinske sestre i tehničare koji se u svom radu ne susreću s istima. Metode: U istraživanju je sudjelovalo ukupno 84 ispitanika. Ispitanici su bile medicinske sestre i tehničari trenutno zaposleni na Zavodu za forenzičku psihijatriju „Dr. Vlado Jukić“ te na Zavodu za biologijsku psihijatriju i psihogerijatriju Klinike za psihijatriju Vrapče. Kao instrument istraživanja korištena je anonimna anketa posebno osmišljena za potrebe ovog istraživanja, koja se sastoji od ukupno 23 pitanja. Stavovi ispitanika mjereni su u tri kategorije: karakterne osobine, pitanja iz aspekta društva i obitelji te pitanja o tretmanu i liječenju forenzičkih pacijenata. Rezultati: Istraživanje je pokazalo da postoji statistički značajna razlika u odgovorima ispitanika s obzirom na radno mjesto i stručnu spremu. Zaključak: Medicinske sestre i tehničari koji rade sa forenzičkim pacijentima pokazali su značajno pozitivniji stav prema forenzičkim pacijentima nego medicinske sestre i tehničari koji se u svom radu ne susreću s istima. Uslijed stigme koju imaju forenzički pacijenti, provedeno istraživanje pokazalo je kako su kontakt s forenzičkim pacijentima, ali i edukacija medicinskih sestara i tehničara presudni u stvaranju pozitivnih stavova i smanjenju predrasuda o istima te je svakako još jedan korak u uspješnom suzbijanju stigmatizacije forenzičkih pacijenata.Title: Attitudes of nurses and technicians about forensic patients Background: Forensic patients are perpetrators of serious crimes in an innumerable state. Like most psychiatric patients, they are often stigmatized in society due to difficult diagnoses, long-term treatment and difficult resocialization. Forensic patients are carriers of a "double" stigma, that is, in addition to the stigma of mental illness, they are also marked by the crime they committed. Whole society, including nurses/technicians and other health professionals, often have unfounded prejudices and negative attitudes towards them that consider them dangerous, incompetent and incurable. Aim: The main goal of this research is to determine whether there is a difference in attitudes towards forensic patients of nurses and technicians who work with forensic patients in relation to nurses and technicians who do not encounter them in his work. Methods: A total of 84 subjects participated in the study. Respondents were nurses and technicians currently employed at the Department of Forensic Psychiatry „Dr. Vlado Jukić“ and at the Department of Biological Psychiatry and Psychogeriatrics of the Clinic for Psychiatry Vrapče. An anonymous questionnaire specially designed for the needs of this research was used as a research instrument, consisting of a total of 23 questions. The attitudes of the respondents were measured in three categories: character traits, issues from the aspect of society and family, and questions about the treatment of forensic patients. Results: The research showed that there is a statistically significant difference in the responses of the respondents with regard to the workplace and education. Conclusion: Nurses and technicians who work with forensic patients have shown a significantly positive attitude towards forensic patients than nurses and technicians who do not encounter them in their work. Followed by the stigmas of forensic patients, this research has shown that contacts with forensic patients, but also the education of nurses and technicians are crucial in creating positive attitudes and reducing prejudices about them, and it is certainly another step in successfully combating stigma of forensic patients