Auditory Hallucinations Interview Guide: Promoting Recovery with an Interactive Assessment Tool

Auditory Hallucinations Interview Guide: Promoting Recovery with an Interactive Assessment Tool Abstract The Auditory Hallucinations Interview Guide (AHIG) is a 32-item tool to help psychiatric-mental health nurses assess the past and current experience of each voice hearer so they can provide more individualized care. This tool was developed as a research tool but has been found clinically useful in both inpatient and outpatient settings to help voice hearers and nurses develop a shared terminology of auditory hallucinations. Using the AHIG, voice hearers are able to tell their story in a structured and safe environment that encourages recovery. Through respect and active listening the psychiatric-mental health nurse communicates unconditional acceptance, caring and hope for recovery that helps develop rapport and promotes trust in the nurse-patient relationship. Once trust is developed, then the voice hearer and psychiatric-mental health nurse can work together to find effective strategies for managing auditory hallucinations including commands to harm self and others

Disseminating an Evidence-Based Course to Teach Self-Management of Auditory Hallucinations

This multi-site project extended course dissemination of the 10-session Behavioral Management of Auditory Hallucinations Course to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mental health outpatient settings. The VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) model and Rogers\u27 theory of diffusion of innovations served as the theoretical framework. The course was taught to mental health professionals using teleconferencing, electronic media, and monthly conference calls across 24 VA mental health outpatient sites. Twenty course leaders provided feedback. One hundred percent reported being better able to communicate with patients about their voices and 96% reported improved understanding of the voice-hearing experience. Thirty-three course participants provided feedback. Ninety-four percent would recommend the course, 85% reported being better able to communicate with staff about their voices, and 66% reported being better able to manage their voices. Facilitators and barriers to course implementation are described

Self-Management of Unpleasant Auditory Hallucinations: A Tested Practice Model

Individuals who experience auditory hallucinations (AH) frequently report hearing unpleasant voices saying disturbing things to them, making derogatory remarks about them, or commanding them to do something, including harming themselves or someone else. The Self-Management of Unpleasant Auditory Hallucinations Practice Model was developed to help psychiatric-mental health nurses in both inpatient and outpatient settings implement evidence-based nursing care for voice hearers who are distressed by unpleasant voices. The model\u27s utility extends to nursing education, administration, and research. The model is comprised of three parts: (a) Assessment of Voice Hearer\u27s Experience, (b) Nursing Interventions, and (c) Voice Hearer\u27s Expected Positive Outcomes. These three parts of the model describe nursing assessments conducted with an interview guide and two self-report tools, nursing interventions that teach strategies to manage unpleasant AH in a 10-session course or individually, and evaluation of voice hearer outcomes with two self-report tools

Auditory Hallucinations Interview Guide: Promoting Recovery with an Interactive Assessment Tool

Auditory Hallucinations Interview Guide: Promoting Recovery with an Interactive Assessment Tool Abstract The Auditory Hallucinations Interview Guide (AHIG) is a 32-item tool to help psychiatric-mental health nurses assess the past and current experience of each voice hearer so they can provide more individualized care. This tool was developed as a research tool but has been found clinically useful in both inpatient and outpatient settings to help voice hearers and nurses develop a shared terminology of auditory hallucinations. Using the AHIG, voice hearers are able to tell their story in a structured and safe environment that encourages recovery. Through respect and active listening the psychiatric-mental health nurse communicates unconditional acceptance, caring and hope for recovery that helps develop rapport and promotes trust in the nurse-patient relationship. Once trust is developed, then the voice hearer and psychiatric-mental health nurse can work together to find effective strategies for managing auditory hallucinations including commands to harm self and others