Introducing Psychology for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

Book excerpt: Introducing Psychology for Nurses and Healthcare Professionalsis a refreshingly engaging, and accessible introduction to psychology written specifically to support nurses and other medical and health care professionals, such as Midwives and Care Assistants, in both their studies and in practice. Assumingno previous knowledge, the text emphasizes the importance of understanding the psychological thought and action of patients in order for nursing and healthcare professionals to provide appropriate and satisfactory patient care in practice. The seven chapters cover psychology topics relevant to nursing and health care including the various psychological approaches and how they can be applied, psychology across the lifespan, the psychology of communication, cognitive psychology, the basis of psychological thought and action, and the psychology of stress and pain. In addition to being an ideal introductory text for all pre-registration nursing courses, this book is also suitable for those in practice requiring a refresher or reference text.