Registered Nurses´ Association of Ontario
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Background
Deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, decreased health care funding for inpatient hospitalization, and a philosophical shift to community-based mental health service delivery have significantly influenced the growth of crisis intervention services in Ontario in the last several years.
Originally highlighted in 1993 in the Ministry of Health document "Putting People First: The Reform of Mental Health Services in Ontario" Ontario Ministry of Health, 1993), crisis services were identified as a key component of mental health reform in Ontario. Later in 1997, the "Best Practices in Mental Health Reform" document recommended crisis intervention as an effective approach to services for people in crisis (Health Canada, 1997).
Most recently, in the two "Making It Happen" documents, the provincial government reaffirmed its commitment to the provision of crisis services and assumed a more proactive approach in supporting the increased need for crisis services in both the community and hospital sectors (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 1999ab).
As a consequence of these initiatives, this best practice guideline was developed to increase nurses’ awareness of their role to deliver effective crisis intervention to meet the needs of clients experiencing a crisis. Please refer to this guideline for more compete and detailed information.
