Community Push: a community-oriented evaluation programme in a psychiatric ward.
Evaluation of mental health programmes is a neglected area in New Zealand. This paper describes a community-oriented, experimental programme designed to provide a model for evaluation in the context of an inpatient psychiatric unit. Its primary objective is to improve patient care. This is achieved by emphasizing real-life needs, and dealing with these by a series of clearly specified steps involving goal-setting. Community resources, especially volunteers, are used. A variety of evaluative data are produced and the overall result is a "self-correcting" programme which is appreciated both by patients and staff.
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006040:Goals; D006757:Hospital Units; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D009520:New Zealand; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital; D013597:Systems Analysis; D014838:Volunteers