Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample

Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample

            The World increasingly encounters urgent mental health concerns. Mental health pertains to social, psychological, and emotional well-being and affects how a population acts and feels. Mental health also determines how people make healthier choices and handle stress. Thus, mental health is vital in people’s developmental stages, from childhood adolescence to adulthood. Abuse history, traumatic experiences, chronic medical conditions, drugs and substance use, chemical imbalances in the brain, or isolation are possible causes of mental health illness. The United States experiences escalated mental health cases with time. The increased number of mental health cases has been a significant cause of limited access to mental health care. Besides the shortage of licensed psychiatrists and inadequate infrastructure, other factors such as health care technology, care coordination, and community resources affected access to mental health care. This paper elucidates utilizing technology in health care, services coordination, and community resources to address limited care access by mental health patients across the United States.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Impact of Health Care Technology

            The United States has been experiencing increasingly high mental health cases over time. For instance, one in five Americans faced mental health problems between 2017 and 2018 (Mental Health America (MHA), 2022). Notably, the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked more health concerns of depression, anxiety, and isolation. Before the pandemic, 19.86% of Americans experienced mental health illnesses. However, more than eight in ten Americans encountered severe anxiety and depression around September 2020. The United States experiences a broken supply chain for mental health care. More people seek mental health care but accessing the care has been a struggle. Most mental health care providers are out of the network from a lack of adequate technological infrastructure to provide quality services.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

            Technology has a positive impact on the mental health sector. Sophisticated and lack of access to health care has stimulated modern technology to promote and expand mental health care across the United States. As such, technology is a new frontier that aids clinicians in accessing difficult-to-reach patients from stigma linked with seeking help or geographical factors (Hategan et al., 2019). Thus, technology promotes mental health support and data collection. Professionals utilize mental health technologies such as social networks, podcasts, blogs, virtual reality instant messaging, video conferencing, and computer programs as adjuncts to mainstream mental health and clinical services.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and cellphones provide innovative ways for doctors, patients, and researchers to access, monitor, and comprehend care and the need for mental health wellness. Mobile health care services are simple but effective. For instance, patients can relay their messages and contact mental health crisis centers across the United States. Also, new technology has smartphones or tablets with built-in sensors that aid data collection on individual users’ behavioral patterns. In this case, the Apps detect a behavior change and provide signals that specific patients need assistance before a crisis occurs. Wearable devices such as smartwatches have a sensor that detects stress data, heart rate, posture, alcohol levels in the blood, and activity levels. Telemental health will be crucial towards addressing limited access to mental health care. Mental health professionals use standard telephone technologies and video conferencing to deliver psychotherapy. Technological support systems detect emotions, monitor psychological states, and inform patients to improve their mood.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Specific Technology

Mental health technology has numerous advantages. The technology ensures mental health care access democratization by providing inexpensive and convenient services. Mobile care solutions allow patients in remote areas to access mental health services through direct support. Mobile technology allows treatment to take place virtually at any given time and place. Wearable devices and technology are available 24/7, offering support while collecting critical data helpful in devising interventions strategies and monitoring. However, there are numerous concerns about modern interventions’ effectiveness compared to traditional methods. Secondly, technological interventions are ineffective for patients with critical mental health conditions since some Apps may be challenging to control.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Barriers Associated with the Use of Technology

            Different factors influence user engagement with digital mental health interventions. For instance, some patients do not see the relevance of the information provided in the interventions (Borghouts et al., 2021). Some users lack the motivation to engage in self-guided mental health interventions. Poor user experience also is a potential barrier to modern technology intervention for mental health conditions. For that reason, the use of mobile Apps to monitor patients’ mental health conditions should be improved to promote efficiency. For instance, the Apps should be brief and precise to prevent boredom and improve motivation. Again, the Apps should only feature relevant information concerning specific patients to promote efficiency.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Use of technology in my Nursing Practice

            The evidence collected was consistent with the technology used in my nursing practicum. Like in my nursing practicum, technology enhances clinical decision-making by improving access to quality information. Technology aids in clinical decision through internet databases on mental health and web-based platforms that offer valid mental health information of diagnosis and treatment. Technology also allows access to the most recent information crucial to making sound decisions. Decision-making demands high analytics, adequate information, and expertise. Therefore, technology enables health care professionals to predict outcomes and weigh factors in an unbiased fashion.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Impact of Care Coordination and Use of Community Resources

            Care coordination involves the deliberate organization of mental health care activities and information sharing among the stakeholders to promote effective service and patient safety. Technology-based care coordination also prevents self-harms suicidal rates and improves overall mental health care delivery (Iorfino et al., 2021). Therefore, collaboration ensures the exchange of information and knowledge such that patients have access to their mental health status and vital clinical understanding. Coordination of care promotes understanding roles and goals to ensure that mental health professionals have clarity about their responsibilities. Health care professionals should collaborate to improve the decision-making process within the mental health sector. On the contrary, barriers such as mistrust by patients, insufficient understanding of each stakeholder’s role, poor communication inhibits effective communication.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

            Community resources play a vital towards improving access to mental health care across the United States. Community-based organizations, families, schools, and workplaces are appropriate community resources to support mental health (Castillo et al., 2020). For instance, the World Health Organization Mental Health Action Plan advocates for integrated and comprehensive mental healthcare and social care through community programs. Secondly, Mental Health America (MHA), a community-based organization, promotes mental health through preventive measures, early diagnosis, and interventions for the risk groups. The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) guides global communities on mental health through community-based care by having public health focus, community case findings, shared decision-making, peer and self-help services, collaboration with NGOs, traditional and religious support systems within the community. However, lack of adequate community resources such as funds to propagate programs and lack of support from the community are potential barriers towards promoting access to mental health care within the community.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Care Coordination and Use of Community Resources in my Nursing Practice

            The evidence collected was consistent with my nursing practice. Collaboration among health care professional and patients promote timely, frequent, accurate, satisfying, and understandable communication among the mental health stakeholders. Care coordination promotes shared decision-making and integrates care to maximize the quality of services, ensure all stakeholders engage in planning, and promote a continuous improvement process. Again, the use of community resources enhances mental health strategies. For instance, organizing community education programs expound people’s knowledge on the significance of mental wellness. Organizing campaigns that advocate for improvement and accessibility of mental health by all social classes promote health equity.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Polices Associated with Use of Technology, Care Coordination, and Community Resources.

            The United States protects the security and privacy of mental health care information to protect disclosure of patients’ data. For instance, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) establishes national privacy standards for personal health information (Iguchi et al., 2018). The policy advocates using technology to share essential health care information while protecting patients’ privacy. Secondly, the 21^st Cures Act promotes the flow of healthcare information through technological innovation to improve the quality of care and patient safety. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) promotes privacy and secured electronic health information (HealthIT.gov, 2022). Similarly, nursing board standards require competence and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to coordinate patient care to ensure quality services and patient safety. Of importance, the use of community resources such as mental health advocates and non-profit organizations will reduce mental health care costs.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

            To sum up, the mentioned policies play a crucial role in governing modern technology to offer mental health services. In this case, Federal and State legislation ensures mental health care professionals use technology to protect and secure patients’ data. Nursing professional standards promote competence in using health care technology to improve service quality and ensure patient safety. Effective communication and shared decision-making among mental health professionals improve care coordination. Nursing ethics enhance the quality of service by ensuring that professionals use technology to protect individually identifiable patient data for authorized persons. Professional ethics advocates for quality services and patients’ safety since nurses identify and solve moral dilemmas through shared decisions involving the relevant stakeholders.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Part 2 Practicum Hours

            I met with Veterans suffering from Posttraumatic stress within Georgia during my practicum hours. I learned that most United States veterans return home from duty coping with severe intense posttraumatic symptoms that include the diminished experience of positive emotions. Most veterans revealed that being on guard for most of their lives, emotionally reactive, and jumpy increases their anger, irritability, reckless behavior, difficulty in sleeping, and hyper-vigilance. Most veterans confessed that society isolates them and does not appreciate their sacrifice and dedication to their nation. Most veterans admitted experiencing PTSD symptoms through flashbacks, distressing thoughts, and nightmares from battles.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

            The websites reviewed provided a piece of well-detailed and updated information on PTSD among US military veterans. The United States has constantly been engaging in wars through programs such as Operation Iraq Freedom (OIF) of 2003 and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) of 2010, leading to the high number of military veterans over time. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (2022) claims that one in five veterans experience PTSD, and about 30% die by suicide. Notably, demographic data reveals that veteran mental health care is difficult to access since the US government does not have comprehensive ways of tracking service members after retirement.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

            I had a bad experience after learning that veterans received poor quality of care despite their sacrifice and dedication towards their nations. I learned that poor quality of care leads to a mental health crisis among veterans in the United States. Most veterans have severe mental conditions that cause suffering and increase suicidal rates. Lack of patient safety causes errors that affect the veterans’ health negatively. I planned to create mental health awareness across the US to improve mental health care for veterans. However, despite the veterans’ mental health challenges, most are proud of the US. Again, a significant number of Americans are still volunteering to join the military service.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

References

Borghouts, J., Eikey, E., Mark, G., De Leon, C., Schueller, S. M., Schneider, M., … & Sorkin, D. H. (2021). Barriers to and facilitators of user engagement with digital mental health interventions: a systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(3), e24387.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Castillo, E. G., Ijadi-Maghsoodi, R., Shadravan, S., Moore, E., Mensah III, M. O., Docherty, M., & Wells, K. B. (2020). Community Interventions to Promote Mental Health and Social Equity. Focus, 18(1), 60-70.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Hategan, A., Giroux, C., & Bourgeois, J. A. (2019). Digital technology adoption in psychiatric care: an overview of the contemporary shift from technology to opportunity. Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, 4(3), 171-177.

HealthIT.gov (2022). Health IT Legislation. Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/topic/laws-regulation-and-policy/health-it-legislation(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Iguchi, M., Uematsu, T., & Fujii, T. (2018, September). The Anatomy of the HIPAA Privacy Rule: A Risk-Based Approach as a Remedy for Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing. In International Workshop on Security (pp. 174-189). Springer, Cham.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Iorfino, F., Occhipinti, J. A., Skinner, A., Davenport, T., Rowe, S., Prodan, A. & Hickie, I. B. (2021). The impact of technology-enabled care coordination in a complex mental health system: a local system dynamics model. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(6), e25331.(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)

Mental Health America. (2022). The State of Mental Health in America. Retrieved from(Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample) https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america

National Alliance on Mental Health. (2022). Protecting Veteran Access to Mental Health Care. Retrieved from (Limited Access to Mental Health Care Comprehensive Nursing Paper Sample)https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Policy-Priorities/Improving-Health/Protecting-Veterans-Access-to-Mental-Health-Care