A study on therapeutic teams in psychoanalytical hospital treatment. Diversity and agreement within the team

The author evaluates the group function of therapeutic teams in psychoanalytical inpatient treatment, by examining the association between perception of factors which affect treatment in 4 groups comprising the therapeutic team: the patients, attending physicians, supervisors, and nurses. The survey was conducted prospectively following the course of hospitalization on 98 patients and staff groups using 8 rating scales. The following findings were obtained: 1) The only significant correlation between all 4 groups was in evaluations on treatment progress upon discharge and one item pertaining to collaboration. 2) Among the many factors examined, the patient having clear therapeutic goals and striving for their attainment, difficulty of treatment, and certain negative emotions were the only items for which significant correlation was seen between all 3 staff groups. 3) No evidence was found of splitting in the patient's view of different staff. These findings indicated that disagreement in perception within the therapeutic team may be a phenomenon peculiar to team therapy. As such, the need for open discussion on disparities in perception, difficulty in treatment, and negative emotions among staff, the sharing of clear treatment goals between patients and staff, and recognition of staff and team meetings as therapeutic means were emphasized.