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ACMHN Standards of Practice for Australian Mental Health Nurses 2010In 2007, the Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc (ACMHN) undertook to review the ‘Standards of Practice for Mental Health Nurses in Australia’ (1995), in response to the significant changes in mental health care in Australia over the period. Publication of this document, the ‘Standards of Practice for Mental Health Nurses in Australia 2010’ is the final outcome of a 2½-year research and consultation process. Conducted as a Delphi process, the 1995 Standards of Practice were subject to several rounds of review and a re-write was conducted. The final draft version of the Standards was reviewed by the ACMHN Board of Directors. This was followed by an editorial process to streamline terminology and ensure absolute clarity of all concepts. Members and others were provided with a final opportunity to provide comment and feedback on the edited version of the Standards via an online survey. Minor adjustments to the final document were made as a result of this process.
The ACMHN Board of Directors gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the Standards project team and authors C. Neville, D. Eley, C. Hangan, J. Weir, J. Quinn, T. Meehan and the editor P. Marks. Acknowledgement also goes to the Toowoomba and Ipswich Hospital Foundations for their financial support and to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing for funding earlier work enabling the completion of this project. The Standards of Practice for Australian Mental Health Nurses 2010 were launched at the ACMHN’s 36th Annual International Mental Health Nursing Conference in Hobart, Tasmania, by the Tasmanian Minister for Health the Hon Michelle O’Byrne MP. Citing the Standards © 2010 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc. Recommended citation: Editor: P. Marks |
