According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), one of the basic functions of psychiatric nursing clinical practice is to provide and maintain a therapeutic environment for the patient regardless of the setting. This article discusses the need to promote factors contributing to the development of a therapeutic milieu for patients at home, including the importance of microanalysis of the home setting itself. Psychiatric home care nurses must practice like ethnologists, respecting the customs, culture, norms, values, and relationship issues that strongly affect a patient's recovery at home.
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