What determines patients’ satisfaction with their mental health care and quality of life?

Abstract

Objectives This study investigated whether patients’ satisfaction with their mental health care and quality of life is related to their age, gender, psychiatric diagnosis, and duration of mental disorder. Method 120 adults of working age who were receiving input from a community mental health team in North Yorkshire were invited to complete the Carers’ and User’s Expectations of Services, User Version (CUES-U) questionnaire. This 16 item self rated outcome measure covers the issues that those using mental health services have identified as being their priorities. Results CUES-U ratings were lowest for “Social life” (49% satisfied) and highest for “Relationships with physical health workers” (88% satisfied). Satisfaction with psychiatric services correlated significantly with patients’ age (Spearman’s r = 0.444, p<0.001) and their satisfaction in other areas of their lives such as housing, money, and relationships (r = 0.575, p<0.001). Those with psychotic disorders rated their quality of life as higher than other respondents (median total satisfaction score 12 v 9, Mann-Whitney U = 377, p = 0.001). Gender and duration of disorder were unrelated to service satisfaction. Conclusions Patient satisfaction ratings have been promoted as an outcome measure when evaluating the quality of their mental health services. Certain factors influencing an individual’s satisfaction with the care provided (such as their age and general quality of life) are not directly under the control of professionals.

Assessment of Patient, Family and Staff Satisfaction in a Mental Health Service

“…The results concerning the patient sample that indicate moderate overall satisfaction with the service contradict those of international (Blenkiron & Hammill, 2003;Gani et al, 2011;Holikatti et al, 2012) and Brazilian studies (Heckert et al, 2006;Kantorski et al, 2009;, which report high levels of satisfaction. One potential explanation for this difference, especially in comparison to Brazilian studies, may be related to the type of service assessed.…”

“…Various studies have assessed mental health services using satisfaction measures and most focused on patient satisfaction (Blenkiron & Hammill, 2003;Gani et al, 2011;Heckert, Teixeira, & Trindade, 2006;Holikatti et al, 2012;Kantorski et al, 2009;Silva, Bandeira, Scalon, & Quáglia, 2012), followed by that of healthcare providers (De Marco, Cítero, Moraes, & Nogueira-Martins, 2008;Evans et al, 2006;Hannigan, Edwards, Coyle, Fothergill, & Burnard, 2000;Ishara et al, 2014;Pelisoli, Moreira, & Kristensen, 2007;Rebouças et al, 2007). The satisfaction of families was the least studied (Bandeira et al, 2011;Perreault et al, 2011;Santos & Cardoso, 2014;Stengard, Honkonen, Koivisto, & Salokangas, 2000).…”

Consumer satisfaction, quality of life and distress with regard to social function and gender in severe mental illness

“…The finding that women are more satisfied with the care than men is in line with other studies, for instance reported from Norwegian outpatient clinics within 33 health trusts [49], and from a psychiatric catchment area in south Rome, Italy [50]. However, yet other studies found no gender differences regarding satisfaction with care and service, for instance in the EPSILON project regarding schizophrenia in five European countries [51], and a study with a community mental health team in North Yorkshire, England [52]. A pilot study by Nysam (A Swedish network for development of Key Figures) using the Quality Star instruments, report a ConSat mean of 75 with small variations between diagnoses but no significant differences between men and women [53].…”

Quality of life of male outpatients with personality disorders or psychotic disorders: a comparison

“…Blenkiron and Hammill (2003), for example, reported that the duration of a disorder positively correlates with life satisfaction. Besides a lower QoL as measured by social indicators, MMD patients had a more extensive psychiatric history than PD patients.…”