Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-dfsvx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T07:38:32.642Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Patients' Satisfaction with a Psychiatric Day Hospital in the West Galway Catchments Area

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Inam Ul-haq*
Affiliation:
Learning Disability Services Sligo/Leitrim Mental Health Services, Cloonamahon Learning Disabilty Services, Collooney, Co Sligo, Ireland
*
*Correspondence Email: drinamulhaq@gmail.com

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate patients' satisfaction with a psychiatric day hospital in the West Galway Catchments area.

Study design: This is a cross-sectional study. Methods: This study was undertaken by using a 33-items questionnaire for 44 patients who attended the day hospital. SPSS version-12 was used for collecting and applying tests to the data, Fisher's exact test was used to analyse the data as sample size is small and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results are also presented in the form of descriptive analysis including percentages and frequencies.

Results: Only 37 out of the 44 patients returned the questionnaires. Among the participants were 61% (n=22) male and 38% (n=15) female. The patients were mostly satisfied with the services available at the day hospital, except the waiting period for a first appointment. There was no significant (P=0.11) gender difference in terms of patients' satisfaction with the day hospital service. The age group, 45 years and above, were less satisfied (P=0.02) with the availability of a comfortable room for counselling, as compared to the younger age group. The patients did not like to tell others that they were attending the day hospital. The results were comparable with previous published patient satisfaction surveys using the same questionnaire by the Health Research Board, except that the patients in the present survey were more satisfied with the waiting area and availability of counselling.

Conclusions: Patients are mostly satisfied with the West Galway day hospital services.

The older patients (45 years and above) are not satisfied with the counselling room, and therefore further investigations are needed to ascertain their requirements for a counselling room. Patients are more satisfied with the waiting area and availability of counselling compared to the findings of other similar studies conducted in Ireland. Resources are needed to be allocated to the day hospital services.

Type
Original Paper
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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

1.Department of Health & Children. The Psychiatric Services – Planning for the Future. Government Stationary Office: Dublin, 1984.Google Scholar
2.Expert Group on Mental Health Policy. A Vision for Change: Report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy. Government Stationary Office: Dublin, 2006.Google Scholar
3.Pang, J. Partial hospitalization: an alternative to inpatient care. Psychiatr Clin North Am 1985; 8: 587–95CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.NHS National services of Scotland, Information division. http://www.datadictionaryadmin.scot.nhs.uk/isddd/2197.Google Scholar
5.Malone, D, Marriott, S, Newton-Howes, G, Simmonds, S, Tyrer, P. Community mental health teams (CMHTs) for people with severe mental illnesses and disordered personality. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008; Issue3.Google Scholar
6.Davidson, L, Tebes, J, Rakfeldt, J, Sledge, W. Differences in social environment between inpatient and day hospital – crisis respite settings. Psychiatric Services 1996; 47: 714720Google ScholarPubMed
7.Creed, F, Mbaya, P, Lancashire, S, Tomenson, B, Williams, B, Holme, S. Cost effectiveness of day and inpatient psychiatric treatment: results of a randomised controlled trial. BMJ 1997; 314: 1381CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Weldon, E, Francis, A. The Day Hospital: Structures and Functions. Psychiatric Quarterly 1977; 49 (4): 338342.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Mbaya, P., Creed, F., Tomenson, B. (1998) The different uses of day hospitals. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 98, 283287.Google Scholar
10.Marshal, M. Acute Psychiatric Day Hospital. BMJ 2003; 327:116CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Hoff, RA., Rosenheck, RA, Meterko, M, Wilson, NJ. Mental illness as a Predictor of Satisfaction With Inpatient Care at Veterans Affairs Hospitals. Psychiatr Serv 1999; 50:680685.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Tyson, P, Ayton, A, Al Agib, AO, Bowie, P, Worrall–Davies, A, Mortimer, A. A comparison of the service satisfaction and intervention needs of patients with schizophrenia and their relatives. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice 2001; 5: 263271.Google Scholar
13.Svensson, B, Hansson, L. Patient satisfaction with inpatient psychiatric care: The influence of personality traits, diagnosis and perceived coercion. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1994; 90:379–84CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Ruggeri, M. Patients' and relatives' satisfaction with psychiatric services: The State of the Art of its Measurement. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1994; 29:212–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Fitzpatrick, R. Surveys of Patients Satisfaction; Important General Consideration. BMJ 1991; 302: 887889CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Noble, L, Douglas, B, Newman, S. What do patients want and what do we know? A review of patients requests of psychiatric services. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavia 1999; 100(5): 321327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Noble, L, Douglas, B. What do patients expect of psychiatric services? A systematic & critical review of empirical studies. Social Sciences & Medicine 2001; 52(7): 985998.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Hill, S, Niall, T, Barry, S, O'Callaghan, E. Client satisfaction among outpatient attending an Irish community mental health service. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine 2009; 26(3): 127130CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Barker, DA, Shergill, SS, Higginson, I, and Orrell, MW. Patients' views toward care received from psychiatrists. British Journal of Psychiatry 1996; 168:641646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Betts, William Robert. Conjoint analysis: A new approach to satisfaction with mental health treatment; Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering 2006; 66(12-B):6914.Google Scholar
21.Prince, Jonathan D. Life Contentment and Mental Health Care Satisfaction. Research on Social Work Practice 2005; 15(6): 564567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22.Ruggeri, M, Lasalvia, A, Bisoffi, Get al.Satisfaction With Mental Health Services Among People With Schizophrenia in Five European Sites: Results from the EPSILON Study. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2003; 29(2):229245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Kallert, TW, Priebe, S, McCabe, R, et al.Are day hospitals effective for acutely ill psychiatric patients? A European multicenter randomized controlled trial. J. Clin Psychiatry 2007; 68: 278287.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Hickey, T, Moran, R, Walsh, D. The Purposes and Functions of Psychiatric Day Hospitals and Day Centres: A Study In Two Health Boards; Heath Research Board publication 2003.Google Scholar
25.Likert, R. A Technique for the Measurement of Attitudes. Archives of Psychology 1932; 140: 155.Google Scholar
26.McLeod, J, Machin, L; The context of counselling: A neglected dimension of trainings research and practice. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling 1998; 3:325336.Google Scholar
27.Elbeck, M, Fecteau, G. Improving the validity measures of patient satisfaction with psychiatric care and treatment. Hosp Community Psychiatry 1990; 41(9):9981001.Google ScholarPubMed
28.Kalman, TP. An overview of patient satisfaction with psychiatric treatment. Hosp Community Psychiatry 1983; 34:4854.Google ScholarPubMed
29.Svensson, Bengt, Lars, Hansson, A user participation approach: Satisfaction with mental health services. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry 2006; 60(5):365371.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30.Corrigan, Patrick. How stigma interfere with mental illness. American Psychologist 2000; 59(7): 614625.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
31.Rosenfield, S. Labeling Mental Illness: The Effects of Received Services and Perceived Stigma on Life Satisfaction, American Sociological Review 1997; 62:660672).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32.Lovell, K. User Satisfaction with In-patient Mental Health Services. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 1995;2: 143150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed