The eye of the beholder: housing preferences of inpatients and their treatment teams

The authors surveyed 80 hospitalized patients with serious mental illness and the patients' treatment teams to compare their perspectives about appropriate housing and support services following hospital discharge. The results showed that the opinions of patients and treatment teams differed markedly on housing preferences but converged on many basic service needs. Patients preferred more independent living arrangements, while treatment teams favored more structured environments. The authors believe that these conflicting views must be reconciled if patient preferences are to be reflected in discharge planning.