Consumer satisfaction in schizophrenia

Abstract

Quality management and quality control of health services have become increasingly important. Central to the concept of quality of care is the consumer's (the patient's) own view of the care provided. UKU (Udvalg for Kliniske Underseøelser), a task force within the Scandinavian Society for Psychopharmacology, has designed a brief consumer satisfaction rating scale, the UKU-ConSat. The UKU-ConSat rating scale was applied in a randomised comparative two-year study of two community-based treatment programs. The study included 84 patients with schizophrenic disorders according to DSM-IV. The major finding was a significantly increased consumer satisfaction with the new community-based program “Integrated Care” in comparison with best-established practice, called “Rational Rehabilitation.” Thus, the new UKU-ConSat rating scale can detect differences, not only for in-patients as has previously been shown, but also between programs in community care settings. By per item analysis it was possible to discriminate between various elements of consumer satisfaction. There were significant correlations between the UKU-ConSat total scores and other clinical outcome domains, viz. symptoms, social function, and patient as well as carer's distress. To conclude, the UKU-ConSat rating scale is suitable for quality management and monitoring of treatment programs in mental health services.