Challenging oppressive practice in mental health: The development and evaluation of a video based resource for student nurses

Some aspects of mental health nursing practice are inherently oppressive; for example detention in hospital or forced medication under restraint. What is more challenging is thinking about oppression in the context of everyday mental health nursing work, such as nursing handovers, and the impact this has on the quality and safety of service user care. An online resource was co-developed for use (via a workshop) with student mental health nurses to assist them with questioning their own and others practice in relation to oppression as exhibited in the nursing handover. The resource was evaluated using an approach broadly informed by Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick's four levels of learning model. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 student mental health nurses immediately at the end of the session where they were introduced to the video resource and again when they returned to school following their final management placement (24 interviews in total). Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified: “enabling reflection on and in real life”; “surfacing mundane practice” and “confidence to challenge”. Video based resources act as “tools” to facilitate reflective practice and enable student nurses to engage critically in questioning their own and others practice.