Collaboration in care and research

This article focuses on psychiatric mental health nursing care and research, with particular attention to collaboration with other health professionals in the area of geriatric mental health. Various components of the NIMH Task Force on Nursing report and recommendations are emphasized. These include research focused on: (a) improving the understanding, treatment, and rehabilitation of the mentally ill; (b) preventing mental illness and promoting mental health; (c) continuous care of persons who are acutely or chronically mentally ill or who are at risk for mental illness; (d) therapeutic interventions with ill persons or those at risk; and (e) the design, implementation, and evaluation of new and existing models of care delivery. An illustrative model of research in geriatric mental health nursing is presented. Particular attention is given to collaborative relationships developed by the primary nursing research team and the nursing staff in an acute care setting, colleagues providing nursing home care, and physician colleagues in geriatric mental health, gerontology, and neurology. Strategies to enhance collaboration and develop collegial relationships for better patient care are presented.