nursingforsocialjustice

These blog posts seem few and far between. I have so many wonderful thoughts when I am driving in my car or playing with my kids and I just cannot seem to get to a computer or even a piece of paper in time to jot them down. I have been thinking a lot lately about the gap between what we know and what happens in the health care setting, especially with respect to practices that happen on inpatient acute mental health settings. I find I have a constant internal struggle between wanting to help be the change-agent to help decrease coercive practice and increase individualized recovery plans and also being horrified and distressed by the practices that are seemingly accepted as necessary. Recently, I attended a talk by a nurse about research that they conducted focused on changing practice with respect to care given to people living with substance use and mental health issues. One of the people in the room proposed conducting a study with a population of health care professionals who continue to feel hopeful and inspired to provide care to people living with mental health and substance use issues, despite the moral distress that we know happens. I was inspired to pursue this research with nurses.