Patients’ opinion on what constitutes good psychiatric care

Abstract

The present study investigates patients' opinion on what constitutes good psychiatric care. It was a qualitative study using an open-ended in-depth interview centering on the patient's experiences of receiving psychiatric care. The subjects were selected to ensure maximum variation and heterogeneity. A model of deliberate sampling for heterogeneity and a modified, stratified sampling method were used. One outpatient and one inpatient sample were selected. The description and analysis of data were based on a variable-oriented, cross-case technique. The analysis was made separately for the two sub-samples. The main result for both samples was the emergence of one main category: the quality of the helping encounter. The quality of the relationship between patient and therapist/staff, and being understood by the therapist/staff, formed the most central aspects of good care. For the inpatient group the analyses also pointed to stability and structure and relief of pressure as main categories. Though the focus of the study was on satisfaction with general psychiatric care, the results revealed a construct initially identified within the field of psychotherapy, namely the 'helping alliance', as the most crucial factor. The results also gave some further indications of what bring about a good therapeutic relationship; and prominent in this study, and not very often reported in the context of helping alliance, was that ambivalence, time and meaning were important constituents of the relationship. The findings emphasize the importance and quality of the therapeutic relationship and point to the incorporation of psychotherapeutic principles in all provider-patient relationships in general psychiatric care.

Comparing patients’ perspectives of “good care” in Dutch outpatient psychiatric services with academic perspectives of patient-centred care

“…To the best of our knowledge, only two qualitative articles have been published about the perspectives of mental health patients on PCC (Corring & Cook, 1999;Williams et al, 1999). Although articles have been published on perspectives of mental health patients on good care, this is not yet linked to PCC (Johansson & Eklund, 2003). In addition, no articles have been published that explore PCC from the perspective of patients treated in outpatient psychiatric services.…”

Effective patient–clinician interaction to improve treatment outcomes for patients with psychosis: a mixed-methods design

“…It has been documented that the quality of the relationship between therapist and patient is a consistent and strong predictor of outcome in many different forms of psychotherapy; 29 furthermore, the quality of the relationship has been found to predict treatment adherence and outcomes for patients with a range of diagnoses and in different treatment settings. [30][31][32][33] Qualitative interviews and surveys have found that patients recognise and value the importance of the therapeutic relationship, 34,35 and some research suggests that the relationship itself has the potential to be curative. 36 Findings on the moderators of the effect seen in the DIALOG intervention further emphasise the importance of the therapeutic relationship.…”

Relation entre l'alliance thérapeutique, la santé mentale ainsi que la satisfaction envers la thérapie au cours d'un processus psychothérapeutique chez l'adulte /

“…En fait, il est plus enclin à se sentir satisfait de la thérapie et à faire des progrès grâce à celle-ci. Johansson et al (2003) ont, quant à eux, clairement démontré que la qualité de l'alliance thérapeutique est l'élément central de la satisfaction des clients envers la thérapie.…”