Medical & Mental Health Co-Occurring Disorders

As medical professionals, nurses see it all. They are the front-line of medicine, triaging and assessing, organizing and directing care, initiating treatment, connecting with the patient and briefing the physician.
Talk to a few nurses and if they are candid, they will say they have an acute sensitivity to their patient's needs. Ask a few nurses about their scope of practice in the outpatient office? in the ER?, on the unit?, and if candid they will say, their responsibilities are great. But ask most medical nurses about what to do with a patient with both medical issues and mental health needs and if they are candid they will likely say, "I wish I knew more".
So why is it that cross-training nurses in the fundamentals of co-occurring medical and mental health disorders is limited? There is a move towards health integration initiatives and education and cross training so that we can provide more efficient, affordable, and effective person-centered care. This movement is imperative for our patients who deserve to be treated holistically and for the health care system that is struggling to manage out of control costs.

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