Enhancing nurse carer partnerships: A self-directed learning approach

For many mental health consumers living in the community, friends or relatives provide day-to-day care and support. Consequently, mental health nurses are increasingly required to work collaboratively with carers and integrate their perspective into patient care. Despite this, research suggests that communication between healthcare workers and carers is poor and training in imparting information to carers effectively and encouraging their involvement has been negligible. In recognition of this, it was deemed important to develop a self-directed learning programme for mental health nurses who wish to enhance their skills in carer partnership. Many nurses are interested in developing their clinical leadership abilities and this programme provides an opportunity to demonstrate expertise through portfolio development in a key area of healthcare delivery. This innovative programme provides educative opportunities to nurses who are frequently busy, work rotating rosters, and have competing demands upon their time. It is open to all nurses irrespective of position or setting and utilises a purpose-designed workbook based on contemporary learning principles. This approach is not without its limitations however. In this paper we share our experiences and hope that it may inform others planning innovations to develop practice through education.