Consumer satisfaction with community mental health care in Durban: research

Abstract

This study presents a consumer evaluation of the delivery and aspects of services provided at three communityrun mental health centres with the aim of using this information to improve the services in future for quality assurance. One hundred and eleven clients attending the psychiatric community health clinics responded to a self-report questionnaire that elicited information on their satisfaction with several aspects of their clinical care in community mental health services. Items on the questionnaire included clientsํ level of overall satisfaction and degree of acceptability of the services to the clients, the effectiveness of health care service delivery, clientsํ views of the quality and outcome of therapy, the clinicํs effectiveness, future behaviour in similar situations, and recommendations of the clinic to others. Analysis of findings indicated that participants were generally satisfied with the mental health service provided, with suggestions for some areas of care needing attention. Recommendations were made for improving certain aspects of follow up care and for additional studies in other settings to include appropriate proportions of all racial groups in South Africa.


Hierdie studie handel oor ๋n verbruikersevaluering van die lewering van dienste en aspekte daarvan wat aan die drie gemeenskapsonderhoudende geestesgesondheidsentra gelewer is met die doel om hierdie inligting te gebruik om die dienste in die toekoms vir kwaliteitsversekering te verbeter. Eenhonderd-en-elf kliฮnte wat die klinieke vir psigiatriese gemeenskapsgesondheid besoek het, het op ๋n selfverslag-vraelys gereageer wat hulle tevredenheid met verskillende aspekte van hulle kliniese sorg in die gemeenskapsgeestesgesondheidsdienste aan die lig gebring het. Items in die vraelys het kliฮnte se vlak van algehele tevredenheid en graad van aanvaarbaarheid van die dienste aan die kliฮnte, die effektiwiteit van gesondheidsorglewering, kliฮnte se menings oor die kwaliteit en uitkomste van terapie, die kliniek se effektiwiteit, toekomstige gedrag in soortgelyke situasies, en aanbevelings van die kliniek aan ander ingesluit. ๋n Analise van die bevindinge het aangedui dat deelnemers oor die algemeen tevrede was met die geestesgesondheidsdienste wat gelewer is, met voorstelle vir sekere aspekte van sorg wat aandag nodig het. Aanbevelings is gemaak om sekere aspekte van opvolgsorg te verbeter en vir verdere studies in ander omstandighede om toepaslike verhoudings van alle rassegroepe in Suid-Afrika in te sluit.


Key Words: Consumer satisfaction, Psychiatric community health clinic, Mental health service delivery, Durban, South Africa


Health SA Gesondheid Vol.9(1) 2004: 3-9