Abstract
Rather than addressing the psychiatric patients' preference between institutional and community care, research has addressed the consumers' satisfaction with the respective milieus. Studies of overall satisfaction have found that at least 50% of patients approve of the overall treatment strategies in both settings. However, the discriminative power of overall analyses is limited. This paper reviews those studies which have evaluated consumer satisfaction with components of treatment across four dimensions; characteristics of staff, treatment services, the physical environment, and activities that foster autonomy. Inpatients are pleased with the quality of staff relationships and the hospital surroundings but find that talk therapy can be a nuisance and do not like the loss of freedom and privacy characteristic of a locked ward. Far less research has been completed on outpatient samples such that the four dimensions cannot be readily applied. Community consumers express similar approval of staff and are less critical of medication interventions than inpatients. Research suggests though, that consumer satisfaction in part reflects patient characteristics. Results of this summary have implications for addressing program development in both institutional and community settings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allen, J.C., & Barton, G.M. (1976). Patient comments about hospitalization: Implications for change.Comprehensive Psychiatry 17, 631–640.
Allon, R., Graham, J.R., Lilly, R.S., & Friedman, I. (1971). Comparison of the factor structures of patient and staff responses on the Characteristics of the Treatment Environment Scale.Journal of Clinical Psychology 27, 385–390.
Bachrach, L.L. (1984). Asylum and chronically ill psychiatric patients.American Journal of Psychiatry 141, 975–978.
Balch, P., Ireland, J., McWilliams, S., & Lewis, S. (1977). Client expectations of community mental health services.American Journal of Community Psychology 5, 243–247.
Bene-Kochiemba, A., Cotton, P.G., & Fortgang, R.C. (1982). Assessing patient satisfaction with state hospital and aftercare services.American Journal of Psychiatry 139, 660–662.
Binder, R.L., & McCoy, S.M. (1983). A study of patients' attitudes toward placement in seclusion.Hospital and Community Psychiatry 34, 1052–1054.
Chamberlin, J. (1985). An ex-patient's response to Soliday.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 173, 288–289.
Corrigan, P.W., Engel, J.D., & Liberman, R.P. (1989).Strategies that facilitate collaboration between patient and practitioner. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Denner, B., & Halprin, F. (1974). Clients and therapists evaluate clinical services.American Journal of Community Psychology 2, 373–378.
Distefano, M., Pryer, M., & Garrison, J. (1980a). Attitudinal, demographic, and outcome correlates of clients' satisfaction.Psychological Reports 45, 287–290.
Distefano, M., Pryer, M., & Garrison, J. (1980b). Psychiatric patients' and staff's perceptions of client satisfaction with hospital services.Psychological Reports 46, 1343–1344.
Distefano, M., Pryer, M., & Garrison, J. (1981). Client satisfaction and interpersonal trust among hospitalized psychiatric patients.Psychological Reports 49, 420–422.
Edwards, D., Yarvis, R., Mueller, D., & Langsley, D. (1978). Does patient satisfaction correlate with success?Hospital and Community Psychiatry 29, 188–190.
Eisen, S., & Grob, M. (1978). Assessing consumer satisfaction from letters to the hospital.Hospital and Community Psychiatry 30, 344–346.
Eisen, S., & Grob, M. (1982). Measuring discharged patients' satisfaction with care at a private psychiatric hospital.Hospital and Community Psychiatry 33, 227–228.
Ellsworth, R., & Maroney, R. (1972). Characteristics of psychiatric programs and their effects on patient's adjustment.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 39, 436–447.
Ellsworth, R., Maroney, R., Klett, W., Gordon, H., & Gunn, R. (1971). Milieu characteristics of successful psychiatric treatment programs.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 41, 427–441.
Essex, D., Fox, J., & Groom, J. (9181). The development, factor analysis, and revision of a client satisfaction form.Community Mental Health Journal 17, 226–235.
Fiester, A. (1979). Goal attainment and satisfaction scores of CMHC clients.American Journal of Community Psychology 7, 181–188.
Friedman, I., Paolino, A.F., Hinko, E.N., Graham, J.R., & Lilly, R.S. (1974). Patient characteristics and perceptions of the mental hospital milieu.Journal of Community Psychology 2, 148–152.
Glenn, R. (1978). Measuring patients' opinions about hospitalization.Hospital and Community Psychiatry 29, 158–161.
Goldstein, R.H., Racy, J., Dressler, D.M., Ciottone, R.A., & Willis, J.R. (1972). What benefits patients? An inquiry into the opinions of psychiatric inpatients and their residents.Psychiatric Quarterly 46, 49–80.
Graham, J.R., Allon, R., Friedman, I., Lilly, R.S. (1971). The ward evaluation scale: A factor analytic study.Journal of Clinical Psychology 27, 118–122.
Graham, J.R., Friedman, I., Lilly, R.S., & Allon, R. (1971). Factor analysis of the patient perception of the ward scale.Journal of Clinical Scale 27, 278–287.
Greenley, J.R., & Schoenherr, R.A. (1981). Organization effects of client satisfaction with humaneness of service.Journal of Health and Social Behavior 22, 2–18.
Hansson, L., & Berglund, M. (1987). Factors influencing treatment outcome and patient satisfaction in a short term psychiatric ward. A path analysis study of the importance of patient involvement in treatment planning.European Archives of Psychiatry and Neurological Science 236, 269–275.
Hansson, L., Berglund, M., Liljencruntz, C., Anderson, G., & Ohman, R. (1985). Patient attitudes in short term psychiatric care.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 72, 193–201.
Kalman, T.P. (1983). An overview of patient satisfaction with psychiatric treatment.Hospital and Community Psychiatry 34, 48–54.
Kaufmann, N.S., Sorensen, J., & Raeburn, S. (1979). Synthesizing the interests of consumers, citizens, and administrators in gathering client feedback.Evaluation and Program Planning 2, 263–267.
Keith-Spiegel, P., Grayson, H., & Spiegel, D. (1970). Using the discharge interview to evaluate a psychiatric hospital.Mental Hygiene 54, 298–300.
Kline, F., Adrian, A., & Spevak, M. (1974). Patients evaluate therapists.Archives of General Psychiatry 31, 113–116.
Koltuv, M., Ahmend, M., Mayer, M.A. (1978). A study of outpatient satisfaction with mental health center services.Hospital and Community Psychiatry 29, 179–182.
LeBow, J. (1982). Consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment.Psychological Bulletin 91, 244–259.
LeBow, J. (1983). Research assessing consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment: A review of findings.Evaluation and Program Planning 6, 211–236.
LeVois, M., Nguyen, T., & Attkisson, C. (1981). Artifact in satisfaction assessment: Experience in community mental health settings.Evaluation and Program Planning 4, 139–150.
Mayer, J., & Rosenblatt, A. (1974). Clash in perspective between mental patients and staff.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 44, 432–441.
McEvoy, J., Aond, J., Wilson, W., Guy, W., & Hawkins, L. (1981). Measuring chronic schizophrenic patients' attitudes toward their illness and treatment.Hospital and Community Psychiatry 32, 856–857.
Meier, R.M. (1981). Consumer benefits and satisfaction at a day treatment center.Comprehensive Psychiatry 22, 490–499.
McGuire, J., Borowy, T., & Kolin, I. (1986). Attitudes towards mental health professionals in a hospital-based community mental health center.Community Mental Health Journal 22, 39–48.
Moos, R., & Schwartz, J. (1972). Treatment environment and treatment outcome.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 154, 264–275.
Piersma, H.L. (1986). Patient comments concerning partial hospitalization.Psychiatric Quarterly 58, 32–41.
Plutchik, R., Karasu, T.B., Conte, H.R., Siegel, B., Jerrett, I. (1978). Toward a rationale for the seclusion process.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 166, 571–579.
Rothman, G.H. (1984). Needs of female patients in a veterans psychiatric hospital.Social Work 29, 380–385.
Schroeder, M.R. (1987). Escape from asylum: Response to Wasow.Schizophrenia Bulletin 13, 547–549.
Soliday, S.M. (1985). A comparison of patient and staff attitudes toward seclusion.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 173, 282–286.
Sonn, M. (1977). Patients' subjective experiences of psychiatric hospitalization. In: T.C. Manschreck & A.M. Kleinman (Eds.),Renewal in psychiatry (pp. 245–264). New York: Wiley.
Spiegel, D., & Younger, J.B. (1972). Ward climate and community stay of psychiatric patients.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 39, 62–69.
Splensley, J., Edwards, D., & White, E. (1980). Patient satisfaction and involuntary treatment.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 50, 725–727.
Wasow, M. (1986). The need for asylum for the chronically mentally ill.Schizophrenia Bulletin 12, 162–167.
Weinstein, R.M. (1972). Patients' perceptions of mental illness: Paradigms for analysis.Journal of Health and Social Behavior 13, 38–47.
Weinstein, R.M. (1979). Patient attitudes toward mental hospitalization: A review of quantitative research.Journal of Health and Social Behavior 20, 237–258.
Willer, R.D., & Miller, G.H. (1978). On the relationship of client satisfaction to client characteristics and outcome of treatment.Journal of Clinical Psychology 34, 157–160.
Wyatt v Stickney (1972). 344F Supp. 33.
Zipple, A.M., Carling, P.J., & McDonald, J. (1987). A rehabilitation response to the call for asylum.Schizophrenia Bulletin, 13, 539–544.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
I would like to thank Robert Liberman and Charles Wallace for their overall guidance. Preparation of this paper was made possible in part through NIMH Grant #MH30911 to the Clinical Research Center.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Corrigan, P.W. Consumer satisfaction with institutional and community care. Community Ment Health J 26, 151–165 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00752392
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00752392