title: Outcomes of a Freedom of Choice Reform in Community Mental Health Day Center Services.
abstract: A freedom-of-choice reform within mental health day center services was evaluated. The reform aimed to (1) facilitate users' change between units and (2) increase the availability of service providers. Seventy-eight users responded to questionnaires about the reform, empowerment, social network, engagement and satisfaction and were followed-up after 15 months. Fifty-four percent knew about the reform. A majority stated the reform meant nothing to them; ~25 % had a negative and ~20 % a positive opinion. Satisfaction with the services had decreased after 15 months. Empowerment decreased for a more intensively followed subgroup. No positive consequences of the reform could thus be discerned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science, Lund University, PO Box 157, SE-221 00, Lund, Sweden. mona.eklund@med.lu.se.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eklund
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Urban
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Markström
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003631:Day Care, Medical; D005260:Female; D005610:Freedom; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010358:Patient Participation; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden
keywords: Client satisfaction; Community psychiatry; Empowerment; Procurement