Understanding non-psychiatric nurses’ experiences of caring for patients with mental-physical comorbidity: a descriptive phenomenological study

Purpose This study aimed to explore non-psychiatric nurses’ experiences of caring for patients with mental-physical comorbidity, the challenges they encounter, and the factors shaping these experiences. Design A descriptive phenomenological design was used, with data collected through face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Methods Between March and April 2025, 20 registered nurses from non-psychiatric departments of a tertiary hospital in Hangzhou, China, participated in in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using Colaizzi’s seven-step phenomenological method, with NVivo 12.0 used to support data management. Results Nurses described difficulty recognising psychiatric symptoms, balancing mental and physical care, managing safety concerns, communicating with patients, and providing care during night shifts. They also reported limited intervention options and reliance on experiential knowledge. Factors shaping these experiences included stigma-related concealment of mental illness, difficulty engaging some patients in care, limited mental health knowledge and communication skills, lack of standardised guidance, weak collaboration with psychiatric services, and workload and time pressure. Conclusion Non-psychiatric nurses described caring for patients with mental-physical comorbidity as challenging when psychiatric symptoms were difficult to recognise, mental and physical priorities competed, and access to guidance or psychiatric support was limited. Training in mental health assessment and communication, practical care protocols, and accessible psychiatric consultation may help address these difficulties.