“Service user involvement in practice”: The evaluation of an intervention program for service providers and inpatients in Norwegian Community Mental Health Centers

Abstract

Background: Modern mental health strategies emphasize the necessity of user participation, but only a few studies examine how user involvement can be promoted effectively. Aim: To study the possible effect of an intervention program designed to (1) increase attention to user involvement and (2) increase user involvement at the inpatient departmental level. Methods: The study has a quasi‐experimental design, involving inpatient departments in five Norwegian Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs). Two CMHCs received the intervention, and were compared with three CMHCs that did not. The impact of the intervention was assessed with the Service User Involvement in Mental Health Scale (SUIM), a selection of items from the Consumer Participation Questionnaire (CPQ) and the Psychiatric Inpatient Experience Questionnaire (PIPEQ). One hundred and twenty‐three service providers, 51 in the intervention group and 72 in the comparison group, and 47 inpatients took part in the study. Results: Providers in the intervention group reported higher mean scores at follow‐up for the variables of organizational user involvement, patient collaboration, and carer involvement than the comparison group. The intervention program was not associated with inpatients reporting more satisfaction with care. Conclusion: An intervention program can be useful in increasing attention to service user involvement in inpatient mental health services.