Controlled trial of discharge planning by video-link in a UK urban mental health service: responses of staff and service users.

We examined the use of videoconferencing in a UK urban mental health service for discharge planning within the framework of the Care Programme Approach (CPA). The study was an AB design. Baseline data were collected over three months, before the introduction of the CPA by videoconferencing. Twenty-seven CPA meetings were held in the baseline phase of the study and 23 during the video-link phase. Service users and professional participants were asked to complete the Guy's Communication Questionnaire (GCQ) at the end of the meeting. A total of 204 GCQs were completed (88% of those issued). Responses were compared between the face-to-face and video-link conditions. No significant differences were found in satisfaction measures between the two conditions. These data suggest that the video-link medium is acceptable to service users and professionals alike for discharge planning.