REGULATING: THE SOCIAL CONTROL PROCESS REGISTERED NURSES USE TO TEACH PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS ABOUT THEIR MEDICATIONS

Abstract

In light of rising costs of health care, trends toward community based care, and greater demands by patients for control over their health, patient teaching has become a necessary part of the registered nurse's role. The purpose of this study was to describe how nurses teach patients with mental illness about their medication regimens. Twenty-nine nurses from three mental health settings in Australia participated in semistructured interviews and participant observation. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the data. Findings from this study indicated that the process of regulating, a social control process, was used by nurses to teach mentally ill patients about their medication regimens. Implications for practice and education are drawn from the findings of this study.