Therapists' Acceptance of Peer Review in a Community Mental Health Center

Eighty therapists, the entire attending staff of a community mental health center, were interviewed to assess their perceptions of the center's interdisciplinary peer review system after it had been in operation for three and a half years. While many expressed reservations about parts of the system, about two-thirds felt that the review committee generally maintained an appropriate balance between quality of care and allocation of funds. More than 90 per cent found peer review an educational experience, and more than half said they would now choose to present cases to the committee even if not required to do so. Fifteen per cent felt they had experienced bias because of the professional disciplines of the reviewers. After presenting additional findings, the authors tell why they believe this particular system has a high degree of acceptance.