TY - JOUR
T1 - Rural physical health care services for people with serious mental illness
T2 - A nursing perspective
AU - Happell, Brenda
AU - Scott, David
AU - Platania-Phung, Chris
AU - Nankivell, Janette
PY - 2012/10
Y1 - 2012/10
N2 - Objective: To understand nurse perspectives on the physical health needs of their mental health clients and how well rural services are meeting their overall care needs. Design: Focus groups with semistructured format. Setting: Community mental health care in a regional and rural district of Queensland. Participants: Thirty-eight nurses in public mental health care. Results: The major themes were (i) stigma of mental illness, (ii) barriers to accessing physical health care services, (iii) nurse adaptations under demands, and (iv) community and integration towards better overall health. Nurses integrate overall care and foster its continuity for people with physical and mental co-morbidity and can be supported much better in sustaining this. Conclusion: Access and continuity of physical health care experienced by all Australians is exacerbated for people in rural areas. Physical health of people with serious mental illness residing in remote Australia needs to be a national health priority.
AB - Objective: To understand nurse perspectives on the physical health needs of their mental health clients and how well rural services are meeting their overall care needs. Design: Focus groups with semistructured format. Setting: Community mental health care in a regional and rural district of Queensland. Participants: Thirty-eight nurses in public mental health care. Results: The major themes were (i) stigma of mental illness, (ii) barriers to accessing physical health care services, (iii) nurse adaptations under demands, and (iv) community and integration towards better overall health. Nurses integrate overall care and foster its continuity for people with physical and mental co-morbidity and can be supported much better in sustaining this. Conclusion: Access and continuity of physical health care experienced by all Australians is exacerbated for people in rural areas. Physical health of people with serious mental illness residing in remote Australia needs to be a national health priority.
KW - Collaborative care
KW - Health services access
KW - Nursing
KW - Rural mental health
KW - Rural physical health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84866747669&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2012.01303.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2012.01303.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 22998198
AN - SCOPUS:84866747669
VL - 20
SP - 248
EP - 253
JO - Australian Journal of Rural Health
JF - Australian Journal of Rural Health
SN - 1038-5282
IS - 5
ER -