Journal of Mental Health and Addiction Nursing

Emerging Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies: Implications for Nursing Practice

Dominique Denis-Lalonde — 2020-02-19

Background
Psychedelic-assisted therapy research is demonstrating unprecedented rates of success in treating mental
illness, addictions, and end-of-life distress. This psychedelic renaissance is a turning point in how com-plex human conditions can be treated and has implications for nursing knowledge, advocacy, and practice internationally.

Objective
This article aims to explore the current state of knowledge in the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy and the practice implications for nurses.

Methods
A scoping review of the literature was undertaken with a focus on mental health, addictions, and palliative care indications. Commentaries, syntheses, and reviews from the last 20 years were included, as well as all relevant primary study results. We then explored what is known about the nurse’s past and present role in this field.

Results
The nurse’s role in psychedelic-assisted therapy and research has been hitherto mostly invisible and thus remains under-explored and undefined. The profession is ideally positioned, however, to contribute to the future of this promising field.

Conclusion
As advocates for safe, ethical, and interdisciplinary practice, nurses can lead the development of psychedelic-assisted therapy practice, ethics, research, advocacy, policy, and education. This article provides guidance and support for prescient nursing leadership in these areas.

Harm Reduction: A Concept Analysis

Amie Kerber — 2020-05-18

Background
Over the last 25 years, harm reduction has shifted to focus on public health and addressing the opioid crisis. Nurses working in addictions treatment utilize the principles of harm reduction to improve the health of clients.

Aims
Concept clarity assists healthcare providers to understand the applications and attributes of a concept. Method
A concept analysis of harm reduction using the Rodgers (1989) method of evolutionary analysis was un-dertaken. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted using CINAHL Plus and Social Work Abstracts.

Findings
The key attributes of harm reduction include safety, supplies, education, partnerships, and policy. Applications of harm reduction include needle exchange programs, supervised consumption sites, medication-assisted treatment, and increased access to take-home naloxone kits. The main antecedent to harm reduction is the presence of harm. Consequences explored include safer injection practices, decreased transmission of blood-borne illnesses, improved client relationships, and decreased overdose-related deaths. Stigma, health promotion, and pragmatism are the related concepts discussed. A model case is provided.

Conclusion
The principles of harm reduction are becoming increasingly popular as an inclusive and evidence-based nursing approach to addictions treatment and management. As using substances continues to shift and in-crease, harm reduction strategies must remain malleable and available in both the community and hospital settings to address the issue and decrease the associated healthcare costs. Future implications for nursing practice and research are provided.

Use of Standardized Patients in Mental Health Simulation

Amber Irwin — 2020-09-19

Standardized patients (SP) have been utilized in nursing education lab simulations to offer students a realistic and standardized environment for practicing skills. The use of the SP for mental health education has not been widely used. Due to a lack of mental health clinical sites and safety concerns, using a SP in mental health nursing education is an exciting and viable option. Preparing and using the SP could be a way to make sure nursing students get the experience without the anxiety.