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Mental health nurse practitioners in Australia : Improving access to quality mental health care
Fisher, Jackie
Fisher, Jackie
Author
Abstract
Under The Nurses Amendment (Nurse Practitioners) Act 1998, New South Wales became the first state in Australia to legislate for nurse practitioners. Mental health was identified as a priority ‘area of practice’ for nurse practitioners. Issues surrounding the implementation of the nurse practitioner role in Australia and the potential for the role to address the current crisis in mental health nursing and the mental health sector will be discussed. The potential for partnerships with other health-care providers, in particular medical practitioners, will demonstrate how successful implementation of the role can fulfil consumer demand for primary prevention counselling, improve access to mental health services and early intervention, and provide mental health services that better reflect national priorities. This examination of the Australian context will be contrasted with a review of the overseas literature on mental health nurse practitioners.
Keywords
mental health nursing, mental health services, nonphysician providers, nurse practitioner, partnerships
Date
2005
Type
Journal article
Journal
Book
Volume
14
Issue
4
Page Range
222-229
Article Number
ACU Department
Collections
Relation URI
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
All rights reserved
File Access
Controlled
Notes
© John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd