title: Raiders of the Lost Art: A review of published evaluations of inpatient mental health care experiences emanating from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Australia.
abstract: Forming interpersonal therapeutic relationships with mental health Service Users remains a key aspect of the practice of Psychiatric/Mental Health nurses. Given the omnipresence of the concept within the relevant literature the reader could be forgiven for asking: why would Psychiatric/Mental Health nurses opine about something so basic, so ubiquitous and so central to the theory and practice of our discipline? While the authors could locate no substantive argument that refutes the role or value of such relationships, a sizable, growing and reasonably consistent body of work has emerged, which appears to indicate that this centrality and value is not necessarily reflected in many clinical practice settings. Accordingly, we draw on the published evaluations of mental health care emanating from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland, Germany and Australia, compare these findings and highlight similarities or/and congruence and discuss a range of issues arising out of the findings. Alas, the findings seem to depict a mental health care inpatient experience that is often devoid of warm therapeutic relationships, respectful interactions, information or choice about treatment and any kind of formal/informal 'talk therapy'. Instead such care experiences are personified by: coercion, disinterest, inhumane practices, custodial and controlling practitioners and a gross over use of pharmacological 'treatments'.
authors: Centre for Nursing Research, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA.|University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.|University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.|University of Malta, Malta.
authors: John R
authors: JR
authors: Cutcliffe
authors: Nursing School of Coimbra, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors: Jose Carlos
authors: JC
authors: Santos
authors: Nursing & Social Education Research Unit, University of Bern Psychiatric Services, Bern, Switzerland.|International Graduate Academy (InGrA), 'Participation as Goal of Nursing and Therapy', Institute of Health and Nursing Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Kozel
authors: Horizon HN Addictions/Mental Health, Hobart, Australia.
authors: Petrea
authors: P
authors: Taylor
authors: School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Lees
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002170:Canada; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011174:Portugal; D013557:Switzerland; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Service User experiences and evaluation; international comparisons; interpersonal relationships; lack of access to talking therapies; lack of choice