The Open RN Nursing Mental Health and Community Concepts textbook is based on several external standards and uses a conceptual approach.

External Standards

American Nurses Association (ANA)

The ANA establishes Standards for Professional Nursing Practice and the Nursing Code of Ethics.^[1],[2],[3]

• https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/about-ana/standards/

American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA)

The APNA advances the science and education of psychiatric-mental health nursing. APNA is committed to the practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing, health and wellness promotion through identification of mental health issues, prevention of mental health problems, and the care and treatment of persons with mental health disorders.^[4]

• https://www.apna.org/

American Psychiatric Nurses Association Education Council, Undergraduate Branch

The APNA created a toolkit to help define and integrate psychiatric-mental health nursing content into undergraduate nursing curricula.^[5]

• https://www.apna.org/resources/undergraduate-education-toolkit/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation and to improve the lives of individuals living with mental health and substance use disorders and their families. SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities and draws advice from public members and professionals in the field of substance abuse and mental health.^[6]

• https://www.samhsa.gov/

The National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses: NCLEX-RN Test Plans

The NCLEX-RN test plans are updated every three years to reflect fair, comprehensive, current, and entry-level nursing competency.^[7]

• https://www.ncsbn.org/nclex.htm

The National League of Nursing (NLN): Competencies for Graduates of Nursing Programs

NLN competencies guide nursing curricula to position graduates in a dynamic health care arena with practice that is informed by a body of knowledge to help ensure the public receives safe, quality care.^[8]

• https://www.nln.org/education/nursing-education-competencies/competencies-for-graduates-of-nursing-programs

American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN): The Essentials: Competencies for Professional Nursing Education

The AACN provides a framework for preparing individuals as members of the discipline of nursing, reflecting expectations across the trajectory of nursing education and applied experience.

• https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/AcademicNursing/pdf/Essentials-2021.pdf

Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Institute: Prelicensure Competencies 

Quality and safety competencies include knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be developed in nursing prelicensure programs. QSEN competencies include patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety, and informatics.^[9]

• https://qsen.org/competencies/

Wisconsin State Legislature, Administrative Code Chapter N6

The Wisconsin Administrative Code governs the Registered Nursing and Practical Nursing professions in Wisconsin.^[10]

• https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/n/6

Healthy People 2030

Healthy People 2030 envisions a society in which all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across the life span. Healthy People provides objectives based on national data and includes social determinants of health.^[11]

• https://health.gov/healthypeople

Conceptual Approach

The Open RN Nursing Mental Health and Community Concepts textbook incorporates the following concepts:

• Holism. Florence Nightingale taught nurses to focus on the principles of holism, including wellness and the interrelationship of human beings and their environment. This textbook encourages holistic nursing care by addressing the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on mental health.
• Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). Evidence-based practices are referenced by footnotes throughout the textbook. To promote the development of digital literacy, hyperlinks are provided to credible, free online resources that supplement content. The Open RN textbooks will be updated as new EBP is established and after the release of updated NCLEX Test Plans every three years.
• Clinical Judgment. Associated unfolding case studies are written to reflect the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model used on the NCLEX-RN. Formative assessments encourage students to recognize cues, analyze cues, prioritize hypotheses, generate solutions, take action, and evaluate outcomes.^[12]
• Cultural Competency. Nurses have an ethical obligation to practice with cultural humility and provide culturally responsive care to the clients and communities they serve based on the ANA Code of Ethics^[13] and the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice.^[14]
• Safe, Quality, Patient-Centered Care. Content reflects the priorities of safe, quality, patient-centered care.
• Clear and Inclusive Language. Clear language is used based on preferences expressed by prelicensure nursing students to enhance understanding of complex concepts.^[15] “They” is used as a singular pronoun to refer to a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant to the context of the usage, as endorsed by APA style. It is inclusive of all people and helps writers avoid making assumptions about gender.^[16] 
• Open-Source Images and Fair Use. Images are included to promote visual learning. Students and faculty can reuse open-source images by following the terms of their associated Creative Commons licensing. Some images are included based on Fair Use as described in the “Code of Best Practices for Fair Use and Fair Dealing in Open Education” presented at the OpenEd 2020 conference. Refer to the footnotes of images for source and licensing information throughout the text.
• Open Pedagogy. Students are encouraged to contribute to the Open RN project in meaningful ways by reviewing content for clarity and assisting in the creation of open-source images.^[17]

Supplementary Material Provided

Several supplementary resources are provided with this textbook.

• Supplementary, free videos promote student understanding of concepts and procedures.
• Online, interactive, and written learning activities provide formative feedback.
• Critical thinking questions encourage the development of clinical judgment as students apply content to realistic patient scenarios.
• Free downloadable textbook versions are available for offline use.
• Affordable soft cover print versions are published by XanEdu and available on Amazon and in college bookstores based on the finding that over 65% of students prefer a print version of their textbooks.^[18]