What do you think of us? Evaluating patient knowledge of and satisfaction with a psychiatric outpatient service.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to measure patient satisfaction with the care they were receiving; examine patients' knowledge of the psychiatric services in general; and identify variables associated with satisfaction.


METHODS
Patients attending the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital psychiatric outpatient clinics over a 13-week period, and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital clozapine clinic over a 4-week period and were invited to complete the Barker Scale of Patients' Views Towards Care Received From Psychiatrists.


RESULTS
One-hundred and ninety-two patients were invited to participate and there was a response rate of 94%. Eighty-six percent of respondents were satisfied with their care; 92% stated psychiatrists were caring towards them; 85% that psychiatrists know what they are doing; 84% that their illness was explained by their psychiatrist; and 65% that psychiatric care is improving; but 65% stated that psychiatric services are still not good enough. Eighty-six percent were, or had been, in receipt of a psychological treatment. On multi-variable analysis, satisfaction was associated with the view that doctors explained treatment clearly, the view that doctors do not rely excessively on medication, and having been visited by a community mental health nurse.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients attending psychiatry outpatient services reported a high degree of satisfaction with the treatment they were receiving, although there were discrepancies between satisfaction with their own specific service and with psychiatric services in general.
Jabbar
F
F
Department of Adult Psychiatry, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, University College Dublin, 62/63 Eccles Street, Dublin 7, Ireland.
Casey
P
P
Schelten
S L
SL
Kelly
B D
BD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D055815:Young Adult