Exploring mental health nursing practice in Indonesian rural area

Purpose: Mental health should be getting more attention, as mental health problems are increasing and they pose a significant health burden. Government plays an important role in supporting the implementation of mental health program. The purpose of this paper is to overview the implementation of mental health programs in North Toraja Regency, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents an audit conducted to examine the practice of mental health staff delivering mental health programs in community centers in one sub-district area in Indonesia and describes key areas of work, including promotive, preventative, curative and rehabilitation intervention. Responds from the respondents then was compared to guidelines for mental health practice in community based on Mental Health Law No. 18 (2014). The respondents were all mental health program staff (26 staff) from all community health centers (26 Puskesmas) in the North Toraja region, South Sulawesi (each Puskesmas has one staff responsible for mental health program). Findings: This study explored programs and services provided for community mental health programs and roles of health staff in implementing programs and delivering services in one rural area. Although most health staff had provided mental health services according to the government guidelines, this study did not identify what the staff actually did in performing this work. Health staff cannot work alone in providing healthcare services, thus support from other sectors and from government is needed to deliver more effective healthcare to people with mental health disorders in the community. For further study, qualitative design is needed to explore more about the actual practice of the mental health staff in Puskesmas. Originality/value: There is no published information regarding this topic in Indonesia to date. This information is really important for the government to evaluate the implementation of mental health program in Indonesia. However, these findings may only apply in this area, thus cannot be generalized for other regions in Indonesia, even if similar condition occurs in other areas.