ReviewInternational journal of mental health nursing2026
Communication Strategies Within the Mental Health Context-The Evidence for Nurses, Midwives, and Social Workers. A Rapid Review.
Review in International journal of mental health nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Effective communication in mental health settings is central to compassionate, ethical, and person-centred care. For nurses, midwives, and social workers, communication underpins trust, assessment accuracy, and recovery-oriented practice. This rapid review explored evidence-based communication strategies used by these disciplines within adult mental health contexts. Following PRISMA-ScR and JBI methodology, 18 studies published between 2015 and 2025 were analysed. Study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Assessment Tool. Three overarching themes emerged: professional mechanisms (reflective management, intuition, pre-planning, rapport building), professional behaviours (presence, authenticity, non-verbal communication, humour), and professional responses (validation, individualised approaches, strengths-based care). Across studies, effective communication consistently enhanced therapeutic engagement, reduced distress, and supported recovery. Educational interventions, such as e-learning, improved empathic communication but required ongoing reinforcement. Findings underscore communication as a teachable, modifiable skill integral to safe, high-quality mental health care. This review is essential reading for novice nurses, midwives, and social workers entering mental health settings, offering practical, evidence-informed guidance to optimise therapeutic interactions and promote recovery-focused practice.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.