Abstract
This paper attempts to develop risk assessment strategies in the field of community mental health nursing in Japan by learning from the strategies used in the UK. Risk assessment has been become a significantly important concept in the field of community mental health in the UK. It is a systematic decision-making process of the degree, immediacy and likelihood of the identified risk occurring in the future and it is an important strategy for enhancing the quality of life of people with mental illness. Therefore, it is important to develop accurate risk assessment strategies. This study explores the way specialist practitioners make use of risk assessment and evaluate the reliability of their assessment. Seven specialist practitioners from different Community Mental Health Trusts in the north of England took part in this study and were interviewed. The method of content analysis was carried out to understand the phenomenon. The analysis of the interviews indicates that an effort of accurate understanding of the patient is the core of effective risk assessment. Based on the literature review and the findings of the empirical research, a model has been developed which considers the important areas of information gathering, expertise, engagement, communication skills, beliefs and judgment in order to gain an accurate picture of the patient. The main implications for an effective risk assessment are that the use of observation skill to enhance an accuracy of perception on the patient and an application of reflective practice to develop practitioners' own judgment on risk.
