The broadened scope of psychiatric nursing practice is attributable primarily to
a. increased use of psychotropic drugs.
b. opening of community mental health centers.
c. legislation that changed nurse practice acts across the country.
d. recidivism of seriously mentally ill patients in public mental hospitals.
B
Community mental health centers were designed and organized to provide services in addition to inpatient hospitalization, thus giving nurses opportunities to practice in a variety of treatment settings (e.g., emergency rooms, partial hospitalization settings, outpatient care) and to have new roles, such as consultant, liaison, and case manager. Increased use of psychotropic drugs is not as important a factor as are community mental health centers. Legislation changing nurse practice acts broadened the scope of practice for nurse practitioners only by allowing prescriptive privileges. Recidivism is not a relevant factor.
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