ABSTRACT
Objective:
To describe the nursing care provided in adult psychiatric services in a city in Portugal, from the perspective of the exercise of human rights.
Methods:
Eighty hours of indirect observation of nursing care provided in four psychiatric services for adults. Data were registered in a field diary and underwent thematic analysis.
Results:
The following thematic units were identified: reception of patients at admission; nursing care plan; family approach; and, strategies for social insertion developed by nurses. In general, nurses valued preventive, educational, social and care dimensions when providing care, but patients' families were not included in the therapeutic process.
Conclusions:
Care practices were based on sensitivity towards patients with mental illness and their condition, which demonstrated respect for human rights in all of the services.
Keywords:
Nursing; Human rights; Comprehensive health care; Humanized care; Psychiatry