Staff views about involving service users in team formulation

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Professionals
• Mental Health Services
• Team Formulation

Background:

• Team formulation is increasingly practiced in healthcare.
• Involving service users in this process raises ethical and professional questions.
• Understanding staff perspectives is crucial for effective service user inclusion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore healthcare professionals' views on the extent and manner of service user involvement in team formulation.
• To identify different viewpoints regarding service user participation in these meetings.

Main Methods:

• Q methodology was employed to capture staff perspectives.
• Forty healthcare staff ranked 58 statements on service user inclusion in team formulation.
• Factor analysis identified distinct viewpoints within the data.

Main Results:

• A three-factor solution explained 60% of the variance, representing key staff viewpoints.
• These factors were: 'A safe space for staff', 'Concerns about inclusion and collaboration', and 'Service users might find attendance harmful'.
• Consensus statements highlighted areas of agreement among all participants.

Conclusions:

• Staff views on service user involvement in team formulation are diverse and complex.
• Balancing inclusion with potential risks requires careful consideration of individual service user needs.
• Further exploration is needed to develop best practices for service user participation.