Safely cared for or empowered in mental health care? Yes, please

Marit B Rise; Heidi Westerlund; Dagfinn Bjørgen; Aslak Steinsbekk

doi:10.1177/0020764012471278

Safely cared for or empowered in mental health care? Yes, please

Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2014 Mar;60(2):134-8. doi: 10.1177/0020764012471278. Epub 2013 Jan 15.

Authors

Marit B Rise¹, Heidi Westerlund, Dagfinn Bjørgen, Aslak Steinsbekk

Affiliation

¹ 1Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

PMID: 23321388
DOI: 10.1177/0020764012471278

Abstract

Background: High-quality health services include both safe care as well as involving service users in treatment and decision-making.

Material: The aim was to explore how mental health service users perceive the relationship between safe care on the one hand and increased influence and decision-making on the other. This was a qualitative study of 15 User Interviewing User evaluation reports, including 417 service users.

Discussion: Safe and predictable care was essential in poor illness phases, while increased influence and independence were more important in better phases.

Conclusions: High-quality services are flexible enough to adjust to users' varying symptoms and needs.

Keywords: User participation; health services; mental health; patient participation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic / methods
Male
Mental Disorders / psychology*
Mental Disorders / therapy*
Mental Health Services*
Patient Participation / methods*
Patient Safety*
Patient Satisfaction
Power, Psychological*