Issues in mental health nursing
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Nov 2008
Editorial Biography Historical ArticleFrom the editor--drugs and lobotomies: personal testimonies.
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Oct 2008
Self-reports of recovery-oriented practices of mental health nurses in state mental health institutes: development of a measure.
The focus of this study was to modify a measure of recovery practice for mental health nurses and explore nurses' self reports of recovery practices. Findings support the soundness of the Recovery Self Assessment-Registered Nurse Version (RSA-RN) as a self-assessment instrument designed to evaluate recovery-oriented nursing practice. More favorable perceptions of recovery practices were noted amongst older and more experienced nurses, those who had previous formal training or education in mental health recovery or psychiatric rehabilitation, and those who considered their facilities to be recovery-oriented. The RSA-RN can be use to identify nurses' and nursing departments' strengths in the provision of recovery-oriented interventions and lead to focused performance improvement.
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Oct 2008
Valuing autonomy, struggling for an identity and a collective voice, and seeking role recognition: community mental health nurses' perceptions of their roles.
Leaders in this community mental health system approached the problem of job frustration, morale issues, and turnover concerns of their Community Mental Health Nurses (CMHNs) by designing a qualitative study using Participant Action Research (PAR) methodology based on the philosophy of Habermas. Six focus groups were conducted to address the nurses' concerns. The themes of Valuing Autonomy, Struggling for an Identity and Collective Voice, and Seeking Role Recognition best explained the participants' concerns. The study concluded with an action plan, the implementation of the plan, and a discussion of the plan's final outcomes.
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Issues Ment Health Nurs · Jul 2008
Expanded practice roles for community mental health nurses in Australia: confidence, critical factors for preparedness, and perceived barriers.
As the momentum for nurse practitioner roles rapidly increases in Australia, little scholarly attention has been directed towards barriers to role expansion, the confidence necessary to undertake expanded practice roles (other than prescription of medication), or the educational preparation required for expanded roles. This paper reports on community mental health nurses' views regarding confidence to undertake expanded roles, their opinions regarding the necessary preparation for such roles, and barriers to role expansion. An questionnaire was administered to 296 community mental health nurses employed in metropolitan and rural settings in Victoria, Australia. ⋯ Eighty-four percent and 79% reported similar levels of confidence in relation to ordering diagnostic tests and referring patients to medical specialists, respectively. Most (95%) agreed that extra educational preparation was necessary in relation to undertaking expanded practice roles successfully. Factors considered most strongly as barriers to expanded nursing practice included the medical profession, followed by fear of litigation, and government departments and policies.