title: Expanded practice roles for community mental health nurses: a qualitative exploration of psychiatrists' views.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this paper was to explore the perspectives of psychiatrists regarding the potential impact of expanded nursing practice roles on mental health care delivery.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-depth interviews and a focus group were conducted with psychiatrists from metropolitan and rural Victoria, Australia, using a qualitative exploratory design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four main themes emerged: nurses' preparation to undertake expanded practice; power and autonomy of nurses; final responsibility rests with psychiatrists; and, the future of expanded nursing practice. Participant responses to these themes were varied and diverse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participant responses elucidate the complexity of the issues and suggest that a number of factors influence psychiatrists' opinions of the expanded practice role.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Psychiatric Nursing Research and Practice, School of Nursing, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. sjelsom@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elsom
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Happell
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manias
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lambert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003152:Community Health Nursing; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing*; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D011209:Power, Psychological; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D011570:Psychiatry; D014739:Victoria