Audit Factors:Statements which describe behavior that illustrate how standards are appraised and achieved.

Health Care Team:A group of health professionals and allied health care workers, such a registered psychiatric nurses, registered nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, nursing aides, orderlies and volunteers; these are educated at various levels and often at different institutions, but work together with the individual to provide health care. For purposes of this document, the term "Health Care Team" and "Mental Health Care Team" may be used interchangeably.

Independent, Interdependent and Dependent Nursing Behaviors:Activities carried out within the Nursing Process singly and in relation to other members of the health care team. Dependent Behaviors are activities carried out in response to medical direction. The registered psychiatric nurse is responsible, however, for understanding and, when necessary, questioning, all directions received regarding the provision of care, Independent Behaviors are activities carried out by the nurse using one's own judgement in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating care and these functions develop from the registered psychiatric nurse's education, training and experience in health promotion, restoration and maintenance, with the central focus in psychiatric nursing on development of health-promoting interpersonal relationships. Interdependent Behaviors are activities undertaken in collaboration with allied members of the health care team.

Nursing:The unique function of the nurse in assisting an individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary will or knowledge; this is done in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible.(1)

Nursing Process:The systematic series of goal-directed actions related to assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of an individual's care. (2)

Nursing Team:A group of nursing professionals and allied health workers, such as registered psychiatric nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing aids and orderlies, working together to provide nursing care. In this document, the term licensed practical nurse is synonymous with certified nursing assistant and registered nursing assistant, terms used in other provinces.

Optimal Health:The highest possible achievement of physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. (3)

Psychiatric Nursing:Primarily the process of developing therapeutic interpersonal relationships to assist those with psychological development and/or physiological problems to develop their maximum potential. The process is directed toward the well-being of the whole individual, providing assistance with those functions necessary for the promotion, restoration and maintenance of optimal health and/or planned modification of the individual's environment as necessary.

Psychotherapy/Psychotherapeutic Care:Treatments designed to bring about social adjustment, including some independent nursing care such as counselling or teaching sessions and medical care such as chemotherapy or electro-convulsive therapy (ECT).

Registered Psychiatric Nurse:A person who has met all the registration requirements of legislation governing the Registered Psychiatric Nurses' Association in Saskatchewan. The registered psychiatric nurse (RPN) is a graduate of an educational program offered in a post-secondary educational institution or a hospital-based psychiatric nursing program and is prepared for work in a variety of mental health and mental retardation settings.

Standard:A measure by which actions and behavior may be judged; a degree of excellence aspired to for a particular purpose.

Nursing Care Plan:The nursing care plan is a plan that identifies the individual's needs and provides the nurse with a guide to interventions necessary to meet those needs and which encompasses all phases of the nurse's process.

Individual:In this document refers to any person entering the human services system to receive services.

1. HENDERSON, Virginia, "The Nature of Nursing", McMillan Publishers, New York, 1966.
2. YURA, H., and WALSH, M.B., The Nursing Process: Assessing, Planning, Implementing, Evaluating (2nd Ed.), New York, Appelton-Century-Crofts, 1973.
3. World Health Organization. Constitution of the World Health Organizations Chronicle of the World Health Organization 1 (1-2), 29-43, 1947.
4. WILSON, H.S. & KNEISL, C.R., Psychiatric Nursing, 2nd Ed., Don Mills, Ont.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1983.
5. BECK, C.M,. RAWLINS, R.P. & WILLIAMS, S.R., Mental-Health-Psychiatric Nursing; CV Mosby Co., 1984.