Staff experiences related to implementation of a recovery‐oriented nursing programme in psychiatric inpatient care

Nursing in psychiatric inpatient care is peripheral to a dominating biomedical model of care. Efforts are being made to implement nursing models based on core values and theories for nursing, such as recovery‐oriented practices. The aim of the study was to explore experiences of a recovery‐oriented nursing programme (Steps Towards Recovery, STR) among nursing staff in psychiatric inpatient care and their ratings of stress (Maslach Burnout Inventory scores), quality of care (Quality of Psychiatric Care ‐ Inpatient staff scores) and satisfaction with nursing care (Satisfaction with Nursing Care and Work scale scores), before and after the implementation—and compare with ratings from reference wards. A quasi‐experimental and prospective, pretest–post‐test design was used. Specific questions about the nursing programme were answered by staff at the intervention wards. Staff reported predominantly positive experiences of the nursing programme. At follow‐up, higher ratings were reported in two dimensions of quality of care in the STR group, and lower ratings in one dimension of stress were evident in the reference group. No differences in ratings between the STR and reference wards were found. Staff members' positive experiences of STR and higher ratings regarding participation and secure environment after implementation suggest that STR is a well‐accepted and promising nursing programme. It is important to implement and evaluate recovery‐oriented interventions in psychiatric inpatient care, where a focus on symptom relief still prevails. The results indicate that there is potential for further exploration of STR in this context.