[The development of psychiatric and mental health nursing in Taiwan]

Psychiatric mental health is critical to ensuring the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities. While psychiatric mental health work continues to become increasingly complex and challenging, the demand for psychiatric nurses with evidence-based skills continues to grow. Psychiatric mental health nurses (PMHNs) are the primary providers of professional psychiatric mental health care services. PMFNs emphasize humanistic values and focus on servicing patient and family needs. In Taiwan, the Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Association constructs the competence-credentialing model for psychiatric mental health nursing that underpins the values, attitudes, and beliefs of PMHNs and ensures that the mental health nursing practice promotes public health and wellbeing. In addition, this association promotes advanced psychiatric nursing education, research, and practice, influences the national health agenda, and discusses and disseminates information on psychiatric mental health care issues in order to influence the direction, nature, and quality of psychiatric and mental health care.