INTRODUCTION: Patients with psychotic illness are frequently dissatisfied with psychiatric services although it is unclear whether this can be explained as being due to the mental disorder itself, or to the lower quality of care received by this group of patients. We explored this issue by comparing service satisfaction from different user perspectives: patients and key relatives. METHOD: The satisfaction and needs of 52 patients with schizophrenia and 66 of their relatives were assessed using the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS). RESULTS: Patients were generally more satisfied with services than relatives, but there was a high degree of consistency between the groups regarding the aspects of the service which they were most, and least, satisfied with. CONCLUSION: Patient satisfaction surveys can be used as reliable indicators of service quality and can highlight specific strengths and shortcomings in mental health service provision. Such surveys can be very useful to help improve the quality of care for patients and their relatives.
INTRODUCTION:Patients with psychotic illness are frequently dissatisfied with psychiatric services although it is unclear whether this can be explained as being due to the mental disorder itself, or to the lower quality of care received by this group of patients. We explored this issue by comparing service satisfaction from different user perspectives: patients and key relatives. METHOD: The satisfaction and needs of 52 patients with schizophrenia and 66 of their relatives were assessed using the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS). RESULTS:Patients were generally more satisfied with services than relatives, but there was a high degree of consistency between the groups regarding the aspects of the service which they were most, and least, satisfied with. CONCLUSION:Patient satisfaction surveys can be used as reliable indicators of service quality and can highlight specific strengths and shortcomings in mental health service provision. Such surveys can be very useful to help improve the quality of care for patients and their relatives.
Authors: Agnes K Ayton; Michael P Mooney; Kate Sillifant; Jonathan Powls; Hufrize Rasool Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2007-08-13 Impact factor: 4.328