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This qualitative study explores the barriers to quality nursing documentation at a mental health institution in South Africa.  Nursing documentation forms a fundamental part of care as it ensures continuity of care and collaboration amongst mental health care providers on the mental health of the persons being treated. Thus, the need to obtain an in-depth understanding of the hindrances mental health nurses face in producing high-quality nursing documents arose. Using in-depth interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, the researchers identified that mental health nurses face challenges such as workforce constrains, resource limitation, leadership and supervision deficits as well as lack of quality assurance mechanisms. Subsequently, suggestions to enhance documentation excellence through capacitation, strategic oversight and standardization of documentation practices were made. The study highlights the importance of ensuring high quality of nursing documentation. Therefore, the findings offer valuable insights applicable to mental health globally, where there are concerns related to the quality of nursing documentation