How does mental health care perform in respect to service users' expectations? Evaluating inpatient and outpatient care in Germany with the WHO responsiveness concept
2007

Evaluating Mental Health Care in Germany

Sample size: 312 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Anke Bramesfeld, Felix Wedegärtner, Hermann Elgeti, Susanne Bisson

Primary Institution: Hannover Medical School

Hypothesis

How does mental health care perform in respect to service users' expectations?

Conclusion

Mental health care responsiveness needs improvement in key areas like autonomy and attention.

Supporting Evidence

  • 221 persons were recruited in outpatient care and 91 in inpatient care.
  • 23% of participants reported having been discriminated against in mental health care during the past 6 months.
  • Responsiveness was rated significantly poorer if people had a lower monthly income.

Takeaway

This study looked at how well mental health services in Germany meet what patients expect, finding that there are important areas that need to get better.

Methodology

A standardized questionnaire was used to assess responsiveness in inpatient and outpatient mental health care across various domains.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in participant selection as only those who consented to participate were included.

Limitations

The study may not fully represent all mental health service users due to the focus on those with complex needs.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 221 outpatient and 91 inpatient users, with a mix of genders and education levels.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p = .027 for dignity, p = .007 for communication

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1472-6963-7-99

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