The quality of interactions between staff and psychiatric inpatients in a Nigerian general hospital.

We examined the quality of the staff's interactions with patients, and its relationship with ward structure, patients' satisfaction and outcome. The Quality of Interactions Schedule was used to observe interactions with patients in two acute admission wards. In 40 h, 101 interactions were observed; 60.4% were of negative quality, 35.6% were positive and 3.9% were neutral. The majority (42.6%) were of the negative restrictive type, with the patients' freedom being curtailed without explanation. Significantly more interactions occurred at the proximal sections of the wards, where most ward activities took place. There were no significant gender and interward differences. Interactions were not associated with clinical outcome. The patients were significantly not satisfied with the items that related to the curtailment of their freedom. They are sensitive to the quality of staff interactions while appreciating staff contribution to their care. Training programs should include staff attitudes for the improvement of the overall quality of care. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel