Contextualizing Mental Health Nursing Encounters in Australian Remote Aboriginal Communities: Part I, History and Customs

Rural and Remote Mental Health Practice: Nursing Roles

“…2014) which is vital working in remote and rural communities. Delivering competent mental health nursing care to very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, however, requires more than technical competence, both in terms of diagnosis and management (Trueman 2013a;. Nurses trained to respond from a Western bio-medical and mainstream urban service provision model, with a lack of consumer and community engagement, may inadvertently provide inappropriate care, ultimately resulting in service delivery failure (Trueman 2013a;.…”

“…Delivering competent mental health nursing care to very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, however, requires more than technical competence, both in terms of diagnosis and management (Trueman 2013a;. Nurses trained to respond from a Western bio-medical and mainstream urban service provision model, with a lack of consumer and community engagement, may inadvertently provide inappropriate care, ultimately resulting in service delivery failure (Trueman 2013a;. It is advisable that mental health nurses, nurse practitioners, and remote area nurses who are going to work in very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are prepared to practice and learn about cultural understandings through local orientation and cultural safety and competency training.…”

“…The nurse must bring more than a biomedical approach to inquiry about the consumer's mental health. Social-cultural, historical, emotional, familial, and experiential factors are also relevant (Trueman 2013a;.…”

“…These factors include changes and stressors due to the isolated nature of the community, the interwoven nature of extended families, and low levels of social capital and infrastructure support. As a consequence consumers can be struggling with issues and concerns that may not be apparent to them but may affect negatively the therapeutic relationship, levels of engagement, and priority given to seeking and responding to medical treatment and follow-up (Trueman 2013a;.…”

“…Any given individual in a particular social encounter considers their loyalty on their particular place within a family network (Nagel and Thompson 2006). This is dynamic as there is fluidity in positioning and orientation consequent on community, family disputes, and shifting alliances depending much on context and current concerns (Trueman 2013a;. Nurses need to know from the consumer who they consider family and extended family and who therefore can be consulted.…”