Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-hfldf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-01T13:49:16.487Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Patients’ and relatives’ satisfaction with psychiatric services in a large catchment area in Rome

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Antonella Gigantesco ,
Angelo Picardi ,
Elvira Chiaia ,
Andrea Balbi  and
Pierluigi Morosini
Antonella Gigantesco*
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161Rome, Italy
Angelo Picardi
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161Rome, Italy
Elvira Chiaia
Affiliation:
Mental Health Department ‘Rome D’, Rome, Italy
Andrea Balbi
Affiliation:
Mental Health Department ‘Rome D’, Rome, Italy
Pierluigi Morosini
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Italian National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161Rome, Italy
*
*Corresponding author. Tel: +39-06-49902895; Fax: +39-06-49387069. E-mail address: gigantesco@iss.it (A. Gigantesco).
Get access

Summary

Objective

To assess the satisfaction of patients and their relatives with psychiatric care and to identify variables associated with any dissatisfaction.

Methods

The study was performed in a defined psychiatric catchment area in south Rome, Italy. All eligible patients and relatives who had contacts with services during a predefined period were asked to participate. Satisfaction with psychiatric services was measured with a previously validated questionnaire.

Results

A total of 890 patients were asked to participate in the study and 855 (96%) accepted. Also, 270 relatives were asked to participate and 265 (98%) agreed. The satisfaction with services expressed by outpatients and their relatives was fairly good, with the exception of poor satisfaction with information about treatment and involvement in the treatment programme. The satisfaction of inpatients and their relatives was significantly lower, with the issue of information-giving by staff appearing particularly critical. Among patients, variables associated with dissatisfaction were being an inpatient, having a diagnosis of psychosis, being in contact with services for more than 6 years, and being single. Among relatives, being female and being the relative of an inpatient were associated with dissatisfaction. For both patients and relatives, receiving inpatient care was the strongest predictor of dissatisfaction.

Conclusions

The results suggest that inpatient care, especially for psychotic patients, needs to be improved and that special attention should be devoted to inform adequately and to engage in treatment both patients and their relatives. Lack of information appears to be a crucial determinant of dissatisfaction with psychiatric care among both patients and their relatives.

Keywords

Patient and relative satisfactionEvaluationMental health servicesQuestionnaire
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 17 , Issue 3 , May 2002 , pp. 139 - 147
Copyright
Copyright © Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. 2002

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albrecht, GHoogstraten, JSatisfaction as a determinant of compliance. Community Dent. Oral Epidemiol. 1998;26: 139–46.Google ScholarPubMed
Barker, DAShergill, SSHigginson, Iet al. Patients’ views towards care received from psychiatrists. Br. J. Psychiatry 1996; 168:641–6.10.1192/bjp.168.5.641CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bene-Kociemba, ACotton, PGFothgang, RCAssessing patient satisfaction with state hospital and aftercare services. Am. J. Psychiatry 1982;139:660–2.Google ScholarPubMed
Cleary, PDMcNeil, BJPatient satisfaction as an indicator of quality care. Inquiry 1988;25:25–36.Google ScholarPubMed
Cozza, MAmara, MButera, Net al. La soddisfazione dei pazienti e dei familiari nei confronti di un Dipartimento di Salute Mentale di Roma. Epidemiol. Psichiatr. Soc. 1997;6: 173–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Druss, BGRosenheck, RAStolar, MPatient satisfaction and administrative measures as indicators of the quality of mental health care. Psychiatr. Serv. 1999;50:1053–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gigantesco, AChiaia, EMorosini, Pet al. Studio di riproducibilità di uno strumento per la valutazione dell’opinione degli utenti e dei familiari sui servizi di un Dipartimento di Salute Mentale di Roma. Rivista di Riabilitazione Psichiatrica e Psicosociale, in press.Google Scholar
Greenwood, NKey, ABurns, Tet al. Satisfaction with in-patient psychiatric services. Relationship to patient and treatment factors. Br. J. Psychiatry 1999;174:159–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hansson, LPatient satisfaction with in-hospital psychiatric care. A study of a 1-year population of patients hospitalized in a sectorized care organization. Eur. Arch. Psychiatry Neurol. Sci. 1989;239:93–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, LELuft, FCRudy, DWet al. Correlates of health care satisfaction in inner-city patients with hypertension and chronic renal insufficiency. Soc. Sci. Med. 1995;41:1639–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, CPhelan, MLoftus, Let al. Comparison of patient satisfaction with community-based vs. hospital psychiatric services. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 1999;99:188–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jackson, JLKroenke, KPatient satisfaction and quality of care. Mil. Med. 1997;162:273–7.Google ScholarPubMed
Kalman, TPAn overview of patient satisfaction with psychiatric treatment. Hosp. Community Psychiatry 1983;34:48–54.Google ScholarPubMed
Keith, RAPatient satisfaction and rehabilitation services. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 1998;79:1122–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelstrup, ALund, KLaurisen, Bet al. Satisfaction with care reported by psychiatric inpatients. Relationship to diagnosis and medical treatment. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 1993;87:374–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Leavey, GKing, MCole, Eet al. First-onset psychotic illness: patients’ and relatives satisfaction with services. Br. J. Psychiatry 1997;170:53–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lebow, JConsumer satisfaction with mental health treatment. Psychol. Bull. 1982;91:244–59.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lehman, AFZastowny, TRPatient satisfaction with mental health services: a meta-analysis to establish norms. Eval. Program Plann. 1983;6:265–74.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lovell, KUser satisfaction with in-patient mental health services. J. Psychiatr. Ment. Health Nurs. 1995;2:143–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marshall, TBSolomon, PReleasing information to families of persons with severe mental illness: a survey of NAMI members. Psychiatr. Serv. 2000;51:1006–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Perreault, MRogers, WLLeichner, Pet al. Patients’ requests and satisfaction with services in an outpatient psychiatric setting. Psychiatr. Serv. 1996;47:287–92.Google Scholar
Priebe, SGruyters, TPatients’ assessment of treatment predicting outcome. Schizophr. Bull. 1995;21:87–94.Google ScholarPubMed
Ries, RKJaffe, CComtois, KAet al. Treatment satisfaction compared with outcome in severe dual disorders. Community Ment. Health J. 1999;35:213–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ruggeri, MPatients’ and relatives’ satisfaction with psychiatric services: the state of the art of its measurement. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 1994;29:212–27.Google ScholarPubMed
Stengard, EHonkonen, TKoivisto, AMet al. Satisfaction of caregivers of patients with schizophrenia in Finland. Psychiatr. Serv. 2000;51:1034–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Svensson, BHansson, LPatients satisfaction with inpatient psychiatric care. The influence of personality traits, diagnosis, and perceived coercion. Acta Psychiatr. Scand. 1994;90: 379–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weinstein, RMPatient attitudes toward mental hospitalization: a review of quantitative research. J. Health Soc. Behav. 1979; 20:237–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.