Abstract
This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the innovation methods used in psychiatric nursing and the contribution of these methods on patient follow-up at home. This article includes studies on innovation and patient follow-up at home for psychiatric nursing which were obtained by searching databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed, Science Direct and Ulakbim. Fast-growing technology, different lifestyles and the increase in disease rates required innovations in healthcare services. International Council of Nurses (ICN), in cooperation with European Union, has declared the year 2009 as the year of innovation in order to develop and support innovative healthcare applications. Patients and their relatives from every age (children, teenagers, young people, old people) see hospitals as safe environments yet, they experience anxiety and nervousness when they go home. In both national and international platforms, healthcare applications and patient follow-ups are not carried out only by nurses at hospitals, but also at home by remote connection by considering the suitability of the device for patient use. Patients and their relatives receive support during this period. Psychiatric nurses stay in contact with the patient and their relatives by phones after discharge in addition to providing care and treatment for them at the hospital. They also inform the patients and their relatives about what to do before or during the exacerbation of the disease. Thereby, patients/relatives become prepared for the
emergency situations even if they are not at the hospital and trusting the nurses makes them stress-free. It is recommended that, in addition to hospitals, psychiatric nurses should take more charge in home follow-ups by both phones and other technological devices.