Challenges Faced by Mental Health Nurse Specialists in North West, South Africa

Abstract

This article reports on a study that sought to explore and describe the challenges faced by mental health nurse specialists in North West (NW), South Africa, using a qualitative research design. The study population comprised all mental health nurse specialists working in public mental health care institutions in NW. A non-probability expert sampling method was used to identify mental health nurse specialists for voluntary participation. The sample size was determined when data saturation was reached after interviewing seven mental health nurse specialists working in the province. Data analysis was done independently by both the researcher and the co-coder. Credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability were observed to ensure trustworthiness. Three themes emerged from the study, namely: (1) challenges affecting mental health nurse specialists directly; (2) challenges directly influenced by the government; as well as (3) suggestions to support mental health nurse specialists. Recommendations were derived and proffered to support mental health nurse specialists in NW.