Triangulation study of needs assessment of people with severe mental illness in "follow-up" day hospital settings.
Tanja Torkar, Vesna Homar, Vesna Švab
PMID 36451296WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with severe mental illness in day hospitals need structured daytime activities, self-care, work or education support, social connection, continuous treatment, and help after discharge.
Key findings
01Six main themes of patient needs were identified: optimal daily functioning, work and educational activity, social network inclusion, continuous treatment, support and guidance, and long-term care.
02Patients described needing structured daytime activities, self-care, and gradual transfer of everyday skills to home to avoid empty days and support independent living.
03Patients also needed staff support, respect, cooperation with relatives, help with stigma, and after-discharge liaison with other services.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 24 participants, and it involved only patients and relatives who were motivated to participate. It did not assess the needs of patients who discontinued treatment or did not agree to participate, so their views are missing. The research took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, when day hospitals and day centres were intermittently closed, and this may have influenced what participants said and who could take part. The sample came from Slovenian day hospital and day centre settings, and day hospitals differ in other places, so the needs may not apply everywhere. The study used interviews and focus groups, so it reports what participants said they needed rather than measured treatment effects.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that day hospital care improves functioning, employment, or social inclusion. The study described what participants said they needed. It did not compare treatment with no treatment, and it included only motivated participants from Slovenian settings during the pandemic.