title: Emergency mental health nursing for self-harming refugees and asylum seekers.
abstract: This article describes the structure and function of emergency mental health nursing practice for self-harming refugees and asylum seekers on Temporary Protection Visas. Emergency nurses working in accident and emergency departments or as part of crisis intervention teams will see self-harming refugees and asylum seekers at the very point of their distress. This clinical paper is intended to support nurses in their practice should they encounter an adult asylum seeker needing emergency mental health care. Practical strategies are highlighted to help mental health nurses assess, care, and comfort refugees and asylum seekers in this predicament. Mental health nurses should, where possible, work closely with asylum seekers, their support workers, and accredited interpreters and translators to ensure the appropriate use of language when dealing with mental and emotional health issues without further isolating the asylum seeker from appropriate services. To help strengthen continuity and integration of mental health supports for refugees and asylum seekers, well-resourced care must be experienced as coherent and connected. A coherent, interdisciplinary and team-orientated approach will synthesize different viewpoints to shape clinical practice and create workable solutions in local situations.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia - City East Campus, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. nicholas.procter@unisa.edu.au
authors.forename: Nicholas G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Procter
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001315:Australia; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012036:Refugees / Q000523:psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000451:nursing*; D012944:Social Support; D014175:Translating; D035502:Trust