title: [A survey about quality of care and users' rights in Chilean psychiatric services].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Quality of care and respect for the rights of users are critical to achieve positive health outcomes and respond appropriately to the expectations of people, particularly if they have mental illnesses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To carry out a baseline diagnosis of quality of care and respect for rights in public outpatient psychiatric services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quality of care and respect for patients' rights was assessed by a mental health professional and a trained psychiatric service user in 15 ambulatory psychiatric services. The WHO QualityRights instrument was used, reviewing documentation and making observations in each facility, as well as interviewing 146 patients, 148 health care workers and 64 relatives of patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A high level of achievement was accomplished in terms of discrimination-free health care, availability of psychotropic medications, lack of abuse or neglect and use of informed consents. A low level of achievement was found in terms of user support to cope with community living, access to education or work and participation in community activities, respect for user treatment preferences and preventive measures to avoid maltreatment and cruelty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chile could improve the performance of psychiatry services having laws based on the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities and standards of the World Health Organization, having national policies about quality of care and rights of users, reinforcing the community work of mental health care teams, reinforcing and informing users about their rights and promoting research on interventions to improve the respect of their rights.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minoletti
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Toro
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alvarado
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carniglia
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guajardo
authors.forename: Ximena
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Rayo
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000592:standards*; D002677:Chile; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D028701:Patient Rights; D011787:Quality of Health Care