Family concerns about hospitalizing a patient in a psychiatric research unit

Family members involved in a patient's hospitalization on a psychiatric research unit have special concerns related to the choice of the unit and the conduct of the patient's treatment. Based on work with 350 families of patients on a research unit, the authors describe families' motivations for choosing the unit and the expectations and misconceptions they may develop during the patient's stay. Certain interventions are specifically directed to family members' concerns about research, including providing information and education, monitoring informed consent, and working through how the family's expectations of treatment match actual treatment outcome. Most families are able to conceptualize the research approach adequately and to use the supportive relationship with the unit's family advocate to deal with their ambivalence about the approach.