Mental health nursing in New Zealand primary health care

International literature and New Zealand health policy is giving increased emphasis to the role of the primary health care sector in responding to mental health issues. These issues include the need for health promotion, improved detection and treatment of mild to moderate mental illness, and provis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inContemporary nurse : a journal for the Australian nursing profession Vol. 21; no. 1; p. 142
Main Authors O'Brien, Anthony J, Hughes, Frances A, Kidd, Jacquie D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.02.2006
Subjects
Health Services Needs and Demand - trends
Humans
Mental Disorders - nursing
New Zealand
Nurse Practitioners - trends
Nursing Diagnosis
Primary Health Care - trends
Psychiatric Nursing - trends
Specialization - trends
New Zealand
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Summary:International literature and New Zealand health policy is giving increased emphasis to the role of the primary health care sector in responding to mental health issues. These issues include the need for health promotion, improved detection and treatment of mild to moderate mental illness, and provision of mental health care to some of those with severe mental illness who traditionally receive care in secondary services. These developments challenge specialist mental health nurses to develop new roles which extend their practice into primary health care. In some parts of New Zealand this process has been under way for some time in the form of shared care projects. However developments currently are ad hoc. There is room for considerable development of specialist mental health nursing roles, including roles for nurse practitioners in primary mental health care.
ISSN:1037-6178
DOI:10.5172/conu.2006.21.1.142