CLIENT´S VIEW ON INTERDICIPLINARY INPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE

Background: A client centred approach is increasingly regarded as fundamental for good quality healthcare embracing respect and partnership with clients. In occupational therapy the concept has become one of the basic premises... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
A client centred approach is increasingly regarded as fundamental for good quality healthcare embracing respect and partnership with clients. In occupational therapy the concept has become one of the basic premises of the profession. It has been criticized that most of the literature about client centeredness represents professional understandings with limited reference to client´s point of view.
Method:
Four men and two women who had received interdisciplinary service for at least 10 days at an inpatient mental health ward where interviewed. Template analysis was used to examine the data.
Results:
Analysis of the data revealed a two level template that presented that client centeredness consisted of two main categories, i.e. interactional factors and contextual factors. Interactional factors showed that majority of participants found the interdisciplinary team to be respectful and showed warmth. Some participants described the need of their significant others to be more involved in the service. On the other hand contextual factors showed that clients had limited opportunities to influence on the program that the staff had previously planned. Males and younger participants found the personnel working on the ward to be homogenous.
Conclusion:
Despite good intensions of professionals the service context of mental health wards seems to be more tailored toward the needs of staff than clients.
Application to Practice:
The rules and culture of inpatient mental health has to change in the way that clients are taken from the role of being a passive acceptor of service to active participants in planning and developing service.