Expanded practice roles for community mental health nurses: a qualitative exploration of psychiatrists' views.

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. METHOD: 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.