Determinants of care satisfaction among inpatients with schizophrenia

Satisfaction with inpatient psychiatry can promote positive treatment outcomes. Using information on 315 inpatients with schizophrenia, this study tested the hypothesis that some services promote more satisfaction than others. Relative to less satisfied counterparts, inpatients were more likely to approve of care if staff invested high levels of effort into education about: (1) control of symptoms with psychiatric medication, (2) adverse effects of stress on symptoms, and (3) social skills. Other services were appreciated less. In order to enhance intervention outcomes, the findings suggest that limited resources should be invested to a greater extent in practices that are valued most highly by patients.