Mental Health Drug and Alcohol Services, Northern Sydney Local Health District, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.
School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, New South Wales, Australia.
Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2021 Oct;30(5):1070-1079. doi: 10.1111/inm.12859. Epub 2021 Mar 19.
With continued growth in the demand for nursing care, many organizations have incorporated nursing assistants into the acute care workforce. However, role descriptions are often generic and do not provide clarity in specialist areas such as mental health inpatient settings. Issues have been noted regarding the role of assistants, delegation, and their integration with the nursing team. This study extended an existing set of care activities and explored the perceptions of nursing assistants and registered nurses regarding these activities. A modified Delphi approach added 14 new care activities for nursing assistants. A follow-up survey found significant differences between nursing assistants and registered nurses regarding utilization of the activities, delegation, teamwork, and role clarity. Future research must incorporate the perspectives of those with lived experience of mental health issues, and develop an understanding of the interactions between nursing assistant care activities and other factors such as local supports, skillmix, and the practice environment, as these may impact how an organization can introduce nursing assistants to specialty areas while maintaining consumer and staff safety.
随着对护理服务需求的持续增长，许多组织已经将护理助理纳入急性护理劳动力中。然而，角色描述通常是通用的，在精神科住院环境等专业领域没有明确性。已经注意到有关助理的角色、授权以及他们与护理团队整合的问题。本研究扩展了一组现有的护理活动，并探讨了护理助理和注册护士对这些活动的看法。一种经过修改的德尔菲法为护理助理增加了 14 项新的护理活动。后续调查发现，护理助理和注册护士在这些活动的利用、授权、团队合作和角色清晰度方面存在显著差异。未来的研究必须结合那些有精神健康问题生活体验的人的观点，并了解护理助理护理活动与其他因素（如当地支持、技能组合和实践环境）之间的相互作用，因为这些因素可能会影响组织如何在保持患者和员工安全的情况下将护理助理引入专业领域。
