Best-practice intervention for care of clients who self-mutilate.

PURPOSE

To describe the development of a best practice intervention to guide nurse practitioners (NPs) who care for individuals who self-mutilate.

DATA SOURCES

The evidence on which the guideline was based includes six descriptive studies and expert clinical opinion articles. The framework for development of the guideline is a systematic process to obtain and analyze the best available evidence, develop a theory-driven intervention, and propose a system for ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The guideline is an information sheet, containing the definition of self-mutilation, background of the problem, target population affected, and intervention. The three components of the intervention are (a) the NP's self-evaluation of values, beliefs, and assumptions about individuals who self-mutilate; (b) a focused, in-depth assessment of the client; and (c) therapeutic strategies to address the emotional, social, and biological dimensions of self-mutilation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This Best-Practice Intervention for Care of Clients Who Self-Mutilate guideline provides direction for NPs to address a preventable, self-injury behavior effectively. Further study is needed to examine the effectiveness of the use of the guideline and the intervention.