2024 APNA Award for Distinguished Service

Diane Allen, DNP, PMHRN-BC, FACHE(R)

Nominated by Ellen Blair, DNP, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, NEA-BC, CPHQ, FAAN

Grappling with the need to improve patient safety across settings, Diane Allen’s career is marked by tireless dedication, providing psychiatric-mental health nurses with a roadmap for safely treating patients with dignity and respect. “It’s not easy to be a changemaker, but I believe our job is to dream big and work to leave the world a better place,” says Diane.

Before entering the field, Diane was raising five children and running a corner store and deli – often working there alone and at night. She shares, “I ran into a lot of interesting characters, but I wasn’t afraid. I learned that they’re all just people, and if you treat people respectfully as human beings, they respond in-kind to you. I carried those experiences into a new career in PMH nursing.”

Diane graduated from nursing school at age 40, the same year her oldest child graduated from college. She began work as a night nurse at New Hampshire Hospital (NHH) in the acute psychiatric unit. “I fell in love with the work,” Diane explains. “I loved the patients, the people, being able to make a difference – it was a perfect fit. I worked at NHH for 26 years, until my retirement.”

Learning about movements to reduce the use of seclusion and restraint (S/R), prevent workplace violence, and manage patient aggression, Diane sought training on these issues. She learned about the serious physical and psychological harm that S/R can cause for patients, and increased rates of injury to staff in settings that use S/R. She became a champion for the reduction and elimination of S/R.

Diane recalls a firsthand encounter: “When I was a new nurse, the first time I witnessed restraint being used, it was more in frustration with the patient, than in response to the person’s dangerousness. The culture at that time used restraint as the ultimate coercive tool. That troubled me. Seclusion and restraint isn’t treatment – it’s what we do when we’ve failed to effectively treat.”

Joining APNA and attending her first conference expanded her perspective even more. She says,

“Through APNA, I found many people who felt the same way about S/R. APNA gave me a broader view and helped me think big about the why’s of what we do and how we can do it better.”

By systematically tracking data on episodes that resulted in S/R at her workplace, Diane discovered ways to change the environment for patients before S/R was needed. “The solution was found in changing the culture,” Diane explains. “Though many were unhappy that we were looking to change the way things were done in the Staying Safe Program, I stood my ground and used data to support what we were doing. Over time the culture began to change – people called for help before physically intervening with patients, and fewer injuries resulted.”

In 2020, Diane published a research project, completing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree. She documented the successful changes made at NHH and showed that the duration of restraint consistently decreased when a nurse provided one-on-one psychiatric intensive care during a crisis –without increasing nurse hours or staffing.

A constant and leading voice within APNA to reduce the use of seclusion and restraint, Diane served on the steering committee of the 2022 APNA Seclusion and Restraint Task Force, co-chaired the 2018 APNA Council for Safe Environments Workgroup for the Seclusion and Restraint Position Paper, led the 2014 APNA Institute for Safe Environments Workgroup for Seclusion & Restraint Position Paper, was a member of the 2007 APNA Seclusion and Restraint Steering Committee, and updated a popular and highly rated APNA online education program.

Diane recalls the support she’s felt from her colleagues over the years. “APNA helped me feel much less alone in the wilderness. Seeing other nurses agree that change is needed and collaborating to bring forward more ideas for how to improve it. And the changes have stuck – even through the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been gratifying to see the one-on-one policy stay in place. It’s ingrained now.”

Diane worked to prevent workplace violence through collaboration with the police-led security team at NHH. She helped to develop a policy and procedure for response to psychiatric emergencies – defining expectations for staff and guiding law enforcement response when a request for assistance is made. The success of this collaboration was shared with other hospitals and police departments across the state and New England. “We received rave reviews from police departments and helped law enforcement see mental health differently. We also helped nurses use panic buttons responsibly and learn how to defuse situations without people getting hurt.”

Her work in violence prevention led to more leadership roles within APNA. Diane served as Chair of the Mass Violence Prevention Task Force, Chair of the Violence Prevention Task Force, and the Task Force on Workplace Violence.

Her service to APNA has reached across many areas of interest and includes serving as Member-At-Large on the APNA Board of Directors, Chair of the Council for Safe Environments, and Faculty for the APNA Transitions in Practice Certificate Program. In addition, she has served as an JAPNA Editorial reviewer, Scholarly and Poster Reviewer for APNA Conferences, and as a member of the 2024 Nominating Committee and several APNA Council advisory panels. In 2015, she received the APNA Award for Excellence in Leadership – RN.

Diane officially retired in 2019, but she continues her dedication to PMH nursing practice as a nurse educator, consultant, and mentor. She has made incredible contributions to the body of knowledge regarding the establishment of safe PMH nursing working environments and staff-patient engagement.

To her peers, Diane advises, “I hope to inspire others to understand that restrictive measures like S/R can’t be used as punishment. Safe patient care is enhanced through engagement and relationships with patients – not through control and restrictions on them. Remember, changing culture is hard work and it can take time, so dream big and keep trying.”