An historical view of right to treatment

The patient's right to treatment is a clear mandate from the Supreme Court that the providers of mental health care must provide treatment. Important Supreme Court decisions have influenced the way in which professional nurses determine what constitutes adequate treatment on an individualized basis. Individualized treatment planning is rooted in meeting legal, regulatory, and funding requirements. The professional nurse is in a unique position to assess the patient's needs and to plan with others how those needs can best be met. Paraprofessional staff may implement those parts of the plan that do not require the direct intervention of the professional nurse. The technicians provide the daily care under the supervision and direction of the professional nurse. However, it is the professional psychiatric nurse who plays a critical role in providing active psychiatric treatment, who determines the nursing component of the treatment plan on an individualized basis, and who monitors the patient's environment, thus safe-guarding the legal rights of the mentally ill.