Beliefs about using consumer consultants in inpatient psychiatric units.

Full Abstract

A key recommendation of consumer organizations and governments has been the employment of consumer consultants in inpatient psychiatric facilities, but the attitudes of mental health clinicians towards this measure remain inconsistent. The aims of this study were to examine mental health clinicians' attitudes about the role of mental health consumer consultants in inpatient psychiatric units, and to ascertain if participants' age, type of inpatient unit, or grade of staff influenced their attitudes towards consultants. The Consumer Participation and Consultant Questionnaire was used, which was adapted from the Mental Health Consumer Participation Questionnaire. A convenience sample of 47 mental health professionals from two adult inpatient psychiatric units located in a large Australian public general hospital participated in the study. The findings, overall, showed that participants supported the inclusion of consumer consultants in psychiatric units in areas that indirectly impinged on their current roles. Age, level of nurses, and place of employment did not affect their beliefs, but type of occupation was influential. Nurses were less supportive of aspects of consumer consultants' roles that overlapped with the traditional roles of the nurse. The findings have implications for clinical practice, education, and further research, and these are discussed.

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Author information

Author/s: McCann, Terence V (TV); Baird, John (J); Clark, Eileen (E); Lu, Sai (S);

Affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Institute of Health and Diversity, Victoria University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. terence.mccann(-atsign-)vu.edu.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: International journal of mental health nursing (Int J Ment Health Nurs), published in Australia. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Dec; vol 15 (issue 4) : pp 258-65

Dates: Created 2006/10/26; Completed 2007/02/13;

PMID: 17064322, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Consultants - psychology
Female
Hospital Units - organization & administration
Hospitals, General
Hospitals, Public
Humans
Inpatients - psychology
Male
Medical Staff, Hospital - psychology

Mental Disorders - nursing; psychology
Mentally Ill Persons - psychology
Middle Aged
Nurse's Role - psychology
Nursing Methodology Research
Nursing Staff, Hospital - psychology
Patient Participation - methods; psychology
Psychiatric Nursing - organization & administration
Psychiatry - organization & administration
Questionnaires
Statistics, Nonparametric

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