Perceptions on the standardization of psychiatric work: development of a care pathway

Policy development and practice for hospital care has shifted towards a more deterministic approach. Crucial within this development is the assumption that interventions can be standardized to fit within the confines of a practice framework. A system to deliver standardized approaches to care is a care pathway. A research study was carried out to determine how care could be standardized to fit within a care pathway for people diagnosed with schizophrenia. A range of interviews with the multidisciplinary team and observations of the working group process was the data collection technique. Analysis was driven by emergent themes across the data set. Clinicians expressed divergent views on the nature of standardized care for people with schizophrenia. Respondents also offered a deeper understanding of standardized care by arguing for a sense of flexibility to be built into care systems. Findings from this study have implications for the introduction of NICE core standards for people with schizophrenia. For example, clinicians may be so opposed to such structures as to work against them. By understanding different views on standardized care, it may ultimately support their introduction into practice.