Poster Presentation
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
1:00 PM - 2:15 PM
Perceived Competency among Nurse Practitioners in Providing Mental Health Care for Older Adults
Elizabeth Macera, PhD, RN, NP-C, Gerontological Advanced Practice Nursing Program, University of California , San Francisco, School of Nursing, San Francisco, CA, USA and Lois K. Evans, DNSc, RN, FAAN, School of Nursing;Chair, Family & Community Health Division, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, CA, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: Describe how advanced practice nurses working in gerontology can work with psychiatric nursing specialists. |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe two educational needs of advanced practice nurses regarding geropsychiatric nursing. |
A recent issue of the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (April, May 2006) was dedicated to the critical need for practice, teaching, and research in gerontological mental health nursing. The population is aging at an unprecedented rate and the need for mental health services for the elderly is growing. Nearly 20% of elderly are struggling with a mental health disorder (Surgeon General, 1999). Studies show that more older adults seek care for depression, a common disorder, in primary care than from mental health specialists (Harman, Veazie, & Lyness, 2006) and primary care physicians prescribe most of the antidepressants for older adults (Harman, Crystal, Walkup, Olfson, 2003). The purpose of this survey is to gather preliminary data regarding the perceived competency of practicing Adult Nurse Practitioners (ANP), Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP), and Gerontological Nurse Practitioners (GNP) in providing mental health services to the elderly. The first phase is an internet survey on the identification, treatment, and referral of the three most common mental health issues in older adults—anxiety, depression (including suicide risk), and dementia. The second phase is focus groups with practicing NPs regarding what they perceive as the major issues they confront in their practices and their perceived competence in managing these issues. the findings have implications for both education and practice for advanced practice nurses working with older adults.