The importance of patient participation is advocated in medical treatment and nursing care and has been linked to increased quality of care, increased patient satisfaction, and treatment adherence. Still, patients in forensic psychiatric care often report being unhappy with their experienced level of participation. The concept of patient participation is complex and has several definitions, thus it is important to investigate it from different perspectives in different contexts. The aim of this study was to describe patients' perceptions of the concept of patient participation in forensic psychiatric care. A qualitative design with a phenomenographic approach was used, and interviews with 19 participants in a Swedish setting were completed. The participants described the concept of patient participation in forensic psychiatric care as follows: influence, to have good communication and to be involved; confidence, to have mutual trust and to trust the care; and own responsibility, to participate in activities and to take the initiative. On the basis of the results of this study, improved patient participation in forensic psychiatric care may be achieved with active communication, by building up and maintaining trust for professional competence and by encouraging patients' own responsibility. It is important that knowledge about patients' views of the concept of patient participation is included in the planning and improvement of forensic care.

Patient participation is a central concept in modern health care and an important factor in theories/models such as person‐centred care, shared decision‐making, human rights approaches, and recovery‐oriented practice. Forensic psychiatric care involves the treatment of patients with serious mental illnesses who also have committed a crime, and there are known challenges for mental health staff to create a health‐promoting climate. The aim of the present study was to describe mental health professionals' perceptions of the concept of patient participation in forensic psychiatric care. Interviews were conducted with 19 professionals and were analysed with a phenomenographic approach. The findings are presented as three descriptive categories comprising five conceptions in an hierarchic order: 1. create prerequisites – to have good communication and to involve the patient, 2. adapt to forensic psychiatric care conditions – to take professional responsibility and to assess the patient’s current ability, and 3. progress – to encourage the patient to become more independent. The findings highlight the need for professionals to create prerequisites for patient participation through good communication and involving the patient, whilst adapting to forensic psychiatric care conditions by taking professional responsibility, assessing the patient’s ability, and encouraging the patient to become more independent without adding any risks to the care process. By creating such prerequisites adapted to the forensic psychiatric care, it is more likely that the patients will participate in their care and take more own responsibility for it, which also may be helpful in the patient recovery process.

BackgroundSystematic efforts to improve the quality, safety and value of health care have increased over the last decades. Even so, it is hard to choose priorities and to know when the desired results are reached, especially in forensic psychiatric care where there can be a discrepancy between patient and staff expectations of what good quality of care is and how it should be reached. The aim of the present study was to describe and compare patient and staff experiences of quality of care in two forensic psychiatric clinics over a period of 4 years.MethodsA quantitative design was used and yearly between 2011 and 2014, a total of 105 questionnaires were answered by patients and 598 by staff.ResultsThe sample consisted of four different groups; patient and staff in Clinic A and Clinic B respectively. The repeated measurements showed that quality of care, as described by the patients, varied over time, with significant changes over the 4 years. The staff evaluations of the quality of care were more stable over time in both clinics compared with the patients. Generally, the staff rated the quality as being better than the patients but these differences tended to decrease when efforts were made to improve the care.ConclusionsIt is important to highlight both what staff and patients perceive as both high and low quality care. With regular measurements and sufficient resources, training, support and leadership, the chances of successful improvement work increase. This knowledge is important in forensic nursing practice, for teaching and for management and decision makers in the constant work of improving forensic psychiatric care.

Patient participation is central in modern health care. However, it is a complex phenomenon that lacks a clear definition, and what constitutes participation varies depending on the context and theoretical perspective. It is known that patient participation in forensic psychiatric care is often rated as low by both patients and professionals, and it can be assumed that interventions to increase it are beneficial. In this process, management and staff could benefit from assessing perceived patient participation, and reliable and valid measurement instruments are essential. The aim of this study was to develop an instrument that could be used to measure experiences of participation in forensic psychiatric care from a patient perspective and test it for content validity. A definition of patient participation in forensic psychiatric care was formulated and operationalized in an instrument that an expert group, consisting of patients with ongoing care, evaluated for content validity. In total, 50 items were sorted into five different dimensions: to have good communication, to be involved, to have mutual trust, to trust the care, and to take responsibility. After psychometric testing, the instrument has the potential to become a tool to use in research, clinical work, and development work in the field of forensic psychiatric care. In addition to being used as a measure, the Patient Participation in Forensic Psychiatric Care can also be used to encourage a dialogue about their care and to make both patients and staff more aware of patient participation.