Community based curriculum in psychiatric nursing science

• Main Author: Arunachallam, Sathasivan
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Community health nursing - Research - South Africa - KwaZulu-Natal.; Curriculum planning - South Africa - KwaZulu-Natal.; Psychiatric nursing - South Africa - KwaZulu Natal - Curricula.; Community health nursing - Study and teaching - South Africa - KwaZulu-Natal; Community health nursing - Research - South Africa - KwaZulu- Natal - Curricula
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/6328

M.Cur. === The purpose of this study is to describe guidelines for a Community Based Curriculum in Psychiatric Nursing Science for a nursing college in KwaZulu Natal. The study consists of 4 phases. To reach the purpose of the study, a situational analysis was done in 3 phases to identify the principles for a Community Based Curriculum in Psychiatric Nursing Science. In Phase I - a document analysis of relevant government policies and legislation was conducted to obtain the principles of mental health care. In Phase H - the statistics of the psychiatric diagnoses of patients from two community psychiatric clinics and one psychiatric hospital admission unit were collected. From the prevalence of the mental disorders, the mental health needs and problems were identified. These were the principles of Phase II. Phase III - was the focus group interviews with the psychiatric nurse educators of a nursing college in KwaZulu Natal to ascertain their viewpoints on a Community Based Curriculum in Psychiatric Nursing Science. From the findings of the focus group interviews, a literature control and conceptual framework were done. Thereafter, the principles of mental health care from this phase were identified. The principles of Phase I, II and III were used to formulate Phase IV, which was the guidelines for the operationalisation of Community Based Curriculum in Psychiatric Nursing Science. The outcomes based approach was used in the Community Based Curriculum in Psychiatric Nursing Science in accordance with the National Qualifications Framework of the South African Qualifications Authority. Recommendations concerning nursing practice, nursing education and further study were made at the end of the study including the limitations affecting the study