Greek psychiatric care reform: new perspectives and challenges for community mental health nursing.
The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to explore the main issues of psychiatric care reform in Greece and outline the operating way of the new residential structures of psychiatric care and rehabilitation; and (2) to focus on the implementation of mental health nursing roles in the primary care services such as supervisor-therapist, liaison, coordinator-crisis interventionist and counsellor-trainer within the context of a multidisciplinary therapeutic team. Given that multiple professionals are involved in mental health care in primary care, issues of role are likely to be crucial to the effective implementation of new workers. Moreover, there is existing evidence of ambiguity in the roles of different mental health professionals in primary care, relating to the problems they manage and the treatments they provide. The authors believe that more emphasis needs to be given to the mental health nursing specialty in Greece, because the large majority of patients requiring mental health care should have the possibility of taking better quality of care as the psychiatric structures at community are continuously developing.
Bellali
Th
T
University of Athens, Faculty of Nursing, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Greece. Bellalithalia@yahoo.com
Kalafati
M
M
D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000458:organization & administration; D003688:Deinstitutionalization; D006115:Greece; D006208:Halfway Houses / Q000458:organization & administration; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000534:rehabilitation; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D016730:Program Development; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D012114:Residential Treatment / Q000458:organization & administration; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000458:organization & administration