Family Systems Nursing

Abstract

In Hong Kong, mental health care has traditionally focused on the individual and the concept of considering the family as the unit of care is relatively new. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating a family systems nursing project in a psychiatric setting in Hong Kong. Psychiatric nurses ( N = 110) participated in seminars focusing on family systems nursing concepts and individuals and families suffering from mental illness. The Calgary Family Assessment Model and the Calgary Family Intervention Model formed the framework for practice. Significant changes were found both in the nurses' critical appraisal of their clinical practice related to family systems nursing and in their reflections on the reciprocity in their nurse/family relationships. In addition, hospital-wide systems outcomes were noted. This project appears to demonstrate that a family systems nursing approach is relevant for psychiatric nurses caring for Chinese individuals and their families suffering from mental illness.