Cognitive-attitudinal aspects of key-worker's talk about their patients in forensic psychiatric institutions.
METHODS
Within an international network study involving four European countries (COMSKILLS), results on clinical-qualitative data are reported and discussed. A total of 103 semi-structured interviews were conducted, representing 45 per cent of the patients involved in the project (N=231).


METHODS
The coding framework represents a means of identifying and measuring aspects of complexity and specificity in the way in which key workers talk about care in relation to individual patients.


RESULTS
Respondents talked about patient care most frequently in terms of coping behavior and working relationships with patients. The commonest method cited for information gathering was observation. Out of three conceptual levels, ranging from complex and specific responses (conceptual level 3), to relatively general and unspecific remarks (level 1), most responses were coded at Levels 1 or 2.


CONCLUSIONS
Taking into account the apparent reluctance of many clinical staff to make use of standardized assessment instruments, systematic treatment-oriented methods able to both allow for valid and reliable assessments and to structure clinical experience is needed. It is expected that complexity and specificity care is referred to will profit from the regular use of such a method (e.g. the BEST-Index).
Sookoo
Susan
S
The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, James Clerk Maxwell Building, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA, UK.
Reed
Val
V
Brown
Ian
I
Dean
Anne
A
Ross
Thomas
T
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003625:Data Collection; D053604:Forensic Nursing; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods; D005858:Germany; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D009426:Netherlands; D009664:Norway; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D009742:Nursing Theory; D019370:Observation; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom