Promoting recovery-oriented practice in mental health services: a quasi-experimental mixed-methods study

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Services Research
• Healthcare Training and Development
• Organizational Psychology

Background:

• Recovery is a key concept in international mental health policy.
• Guidance on organizational transformation towards recovery orientation is lacking.
• This study evaluated training's impact on implementing recovery-orientated practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a training intervention in promoting recovery-orientated practice.
• To assess changes in patient care plans following staff training.
• To explore staff perceptions of recovery implementation and its systemic impact.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design evaluated training for 383 mental health staff across 22 teams.
• Behavioural intent was measured by coding action points in 700 patient care plans (pre- and post-intervention).
• Qualitative inquiry included semi-structured interviews with 16 team leaders.

Main Results:

• Staff training led to significantly more changes in patient care plan content (OR 10.94) and attributed responsibility (OR 2.95).
• Qualitative analysis revealed themes on individual/team practice ('Recovery, individual and practice') and organizational implementation ('Systemic implementation').
• Key themes included care provision, hope, language of recovery, ownership, hierarchy, training, measurement, and resources.

Conclusions:

• Training is an effective mechanism for initiating changes towards recovery-orientated practice.
• Systemic implementation of recovery approaches necessitates further consideration of conceptual elements and measurement.
• Maximizing and demonstrating organizational commitment is crucial for sustained recovery-orientated practice.