Service users' views regarding user involvement in mental health services: A qualitative study
Abstract
Background Service user involvement is emphasised in many strategies, plans and declarations globally. However, in practice, service user involvement is not always achieved and remains at a tokenistic level.Objectives To explore the views of service users on user involvement in mental health service.Design Explorative descriptive study design.Setting The study was conducted in one psychiatric hospital and in two mental health organisations in western Finland.Methods The data was generated through three focus group interviews and analysed with qualitative content analysis.Results User involvement means that people using mental health services are respected, listened to and can act in co-operation with professionals so than they feel that they can influence their own care and treatment. The participants articulated concrete factors that promote or inhibit user involvement. Service user involvement can be enhanced by strengthening service users´ position, by developing the mental health care system and by specific training for professionals.Conclusions The views of service users in this study concerning the realisation of user involvement and the factors promoting and preventing it were realistic. They are basic elements of patient-centred care and of all human interaction. Our participants described service user involvement in their own care and treatment. They emphasised the need to have more information, and wanted to be more involved in decision-making about their own care and treatment. They called for better care planning and co-ordination as one way to increase service user involvement. These also have implications for mental health services at the system level.
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A qualitative study found that people with lived experience often perceive professionals' efforts to involve them in mental health care as tokenistic.
“A qualitative study found that PWLE often perceive the efforts of professionals to involve them in mental health care as tokenistic.”
From Ethical challenges in contemporary psychiatry: an overview and an appraisal of possible strategies and research needs (2024) · cites this paper as [314]
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- Authors
- Laitila, M., Nummelin, J., Kortteisto, T., & Pitkänen, A.
- Affiliations
- Kanta-Hämeen Keskussairaala (FI)
- Tampere University Hospital (FI)
- Pirkanmaa Hospital District (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Laitila, Minna
- Nummelin, Jalmiina
- Kortteisto, Tiina
- Pitkänen, Anneli
- ORCID
- Kortteisto, Tiina
- Venue
- Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-10
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 695-701
- ISSN
- 0883-9417 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2790475817
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 6.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Psychiatric Nursing (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mental Health and Patient Involvement
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints
- Keywords
- service user involvement, mental health services, patient participation, patient-centered care, shared decision-making, care planning, professional training, psychiatric hospitals, user perspective
- MeSH terms
- Decision Making, Female, Finland, Hospitals, Psychiatric, Humans, Inpatients, Male, Mental Health Services, Focus Groups, Patient-Centered Care, Qualitative Research
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