Therapists', Patients', and Inpatient Staff's Views of Treatment Modes and Outcomes

Data were gathered on 199 consecutive admissions to a community mental health center in an exploratory study to compare patients', therapists', and inpatient staff's perceptions of inpatient treatment. The three groups showed little agreement on the identification of patients' symptoms or on assessments of change for those cases in which they agreed on the symptoms. There was also little concurrence between the inpatient staff and therapists in reporting which major therapeutic modalities they used, and in identifying cases in which there were communication problems between therapist and staff. However, neither the use of different treatment approaches nor the existence of communication problems was related to longer lengths of stay or poorer outcomes. The authors note that many of the findings are consistent with comparisons elsewhere of patients' and caregivers' perceptions of outpatient psychotherapy and general medical care.