S.TRUEMAN PhD THESIS 2016

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There exists a gap in the literature in the absence of any case study having been undertaken to identify and explain what factors affect remote generalist nurses providing care to mental health patients. This study provides an understanding of generalist nurses’ experiences, manner and competency of caring for mental health patients in remote settings. 1.10 Organisation of the Thesis Chapter 1 has provided an overview of the study’s aim, purpose and objectives. The researcher has positioned himself through his experience in the field concerning the subject matter of the study and also provided raisons d’être justifying the research. The concept of ‘remote’ was discussed and defined, including an outline of the remoteness classification system utilised in the study. Further, the demographics of the actors and health workforce professions in the study’s field were presented. Chapter 2 outlines the background and setting of the study. The chapter commences by outlining the poor health status and burden of disease in Australia’s remote population, the types of mental health services and resources available and the current expenditure and investment in mental health. The next section of the chapter discusses the demographics of remote Australia and how these shape and determine models of mental health service delivery. Concluding the chapter is an outline of the formation of remote nurses into a professional cohort and an examination of the current issues and barriers that effect remote nurses delivering mental healthcare. Chapter 3 reviews the current literature on remote generalist nurses caring for mental health patients. Embedded in the chapter is an article, under review for publication, that outlines the literature review undertaken by the researcher. This review identifies two