Patient Perceptions of OCD Care in General Psychiatric Inpatient Units

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• A significant number of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) require inpatient hospitalization.
• General psychiatric units are the most common setting for these admissions due to a lack of specialized OCD facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient perceptions of OCD-related care within general inpatient psychiatric settings.
• To identify potential limitations in the current standard of care for OCD patients during hospitalization.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 69 adults with self-reported OCD who had prior inpatient hospitalizations.
• Participants shared their views on provider attention to OCD-specific needs and treatment satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Overall, participants reported negative perceptions of their providers' understanding and management of OCD.
• Nearly half of participants felt their providers lacked proficiency or confidence in treating OCD.
• Dissatisfaction with OCD treatment was common, though positive provider perceptions correlated with perceived symptom reduction.

Conclusions:

• Current general psychiatric units may have limitations in providing adequate OCD-specific care.
• Future research should focus on developing and evaluating evidence-based practices for treating OCD in inpatient settings.
• Provider training is needed to balance reducing accommodation of compulsions with supportive interventions for OCD patients.