Abstract
Evaluation studios of community mental health services require the research, often in the form of interviews, to be carried out in private homes which poses a particular set of issues relating to the interview environment and the organisation of the work. This paper describes the experiences of interviewing patients, staff and informal carers as part of an evaluation study of the mental health services in two psychiatric sectors in South London and makes recommendations for more effective community based research.
Highlights
Evaluation studies of community mental health services require the research, often in the form of interviews, to be carried out in private homes which poses a particular set of issues relating to the interview environment and the organisation of the work
Several issues have arisen in our work which have prompted us to assess our own roles and skills as interviewers working in community settings
If the respondent is living with others, interrup tions may occur which can cause a loss of concentration and interrupt the flow of the interview
Summary
Evaluation studies of community mental health services require the research, often in the form of interviews, to be carried out in private homes which poses a particular set of issues relating to the interview environment and the organisation of the work. PRISM (Psychiatric Research in Service Measurement) is based at the Institute of Psychiatry, and funded by the Department of Health, to evaluate community mental health services for people with severe mental illness in two inner city districts of South London. Interviews with patients, their relatives apnedoplwe'isthhofomremsa, l tocacroerllsectardeatcaarorineda woiudte, roafntegne ionf outcome measures, including use and satisfac tion with the mental health services, current state of physical and mental health, assessment of needs, quality of life, and educational, work and family background. This paper discusses these issues and makes recommendations for more effective community based research
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