Establishing a Recovery Orientation in Swedish Mental Health Services; From attitudes to instruments

• Introduction: Although there has been an emphasis on developing knowledge of recovery in Sweden, it is unclear to what extent this has been translated into a recovery orientation in the provision of mental health services. Educational initiatives focused primarily on changing attitudes have not produced concrete outcomes. Instruments that define the components of recovery as measurable dimensions of change may provide a framework for implementing recovery-oriented services.Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the use of instruments which measure a recovery orientation in services could provide program level outcome indicators, that could point to concrete needs for change. An additional aim was to study the contribution of peer support workers to this process.Methods: Two internationally tested and validated instruments were distributed to 85 clients from 6 community mental health services targeting people with a diagnosis of psychosis in a municipality in Sweden. These focused on the recovery orientation of services (RSA) and the recovery orientation of relationships with the primary contact person (Inspire). An additional instrument (RKI) was distributed to all staff to assess their knowledge of recovery paradigms. Peer support workers participated in the translation, administration and reporting of results.Results: The instruments were translated to Swedish, tested and found to have acceptable psychometric properties. The reports pro-duced from these instruments highlighted specific areas for improvement which these user assessments had indicated. These included for example; opportunities to influence services and care plans, to receive support for activities outside of psychiatry, to have their strengths included in assessments and to have more access to experience-based knowledge. The peer support workers provided valuable support to the process and were additionally seen by the clinic staff as a valuable resource in future work.Conclusions: Instruments which measure a recovery orientation in mental health services can contribute to a focus on specific knowledge, attitudinal and skill gaps that service organisations can target in their quality development activities. In the present study, staff were more accepting of this feedback since it came directly from their clients and was collected and presented systematically.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Recovery

psychiatry

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)