Service users' views of therapeutic care

The overall aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Therapeutic Care service delivered by the Red Cross. Specific objectives were to explore service users’ experiences and perceptions of Therapeutic Care. The research adopted a qualitative approach with purposive sampling used to identify and recruit individuals from Central Scotland who had received the service in the last 12 months. In-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with 30 service users aged between 39 -100 years, who suffered from a range of health conditions including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, chronic pain and mental ill health

Involving service users in trials: developing a standard operating procedure

<p>BACKGROUND: Many funding bodies require researchers to actively involve service users in research to improve relevance, accountability and quality. Current guidance to researchers mainly discusses general principles. Formal guidance about how to involve service users operationally in the conduct of trials is lacking. We aimed to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) to support researchers to involve service users in trials and rigorous studies.</p> <p>METHODS: Researchers with experience of involving service users and service users who were contributing to trials collaborated with the West Wales Organisation for Rigorous Trials in Health, a registered clinical trials unit, to develop the SOP. Drafts were prepared in a Task and Finish Group, reviewed by all co-authors and amendments made.</p> <p>RESULTS: We articulated core principles, which defined equality of service users with all other research team members and collaborative processes underpinning the SOP, plus guidance on how to achieve these. We developed a framework for involving service users in research that defined minimum levels of collaboration plus additional consultation and decision-making opportunities. We recommended service users be involved throughout the life of a trial, including planning and development, data collection, analysis and dissemination, and listed tasks for collaboration. We listed people responsible for involving service users in studies and promoting an inclusive culture. We advocate actively involving service users as early as possible in the research process, with a minimum of two on all formal trial groups and committees. We propose that researchers protect at least 1% of their total research budget as a minimum resource to involve service users and allow enough time to facilitate active involvement.</p> <p>CONCLUSIONS: This SOP provides guidance to researchers to involve service users successfully in developing and conducting clinical trials and creating a culture of actively involving service users in research at all stages. The UK Clinical Research Collaboration should encourage clinical trials units actively to involve service users and research funders should provide sufficient funds and time for this in research grants.</p&gt

User involvement and desired service developments in drug treatment: Service user and provider views

Aims - To investigate the existing level of user involvement at selected agencies, to examine views about user involvement from both service-user and provider perspectives and to compare desired service developments. Design/Measurements - As part of a larger project, a series of semi-structured interviews was carried out between 2001 and 2003. Setting - Community-based drug services in Northern England. Participants - Service users (46) and service providers (51). Findings - Overall, the level of service-user involvement was low, with 16% of services having no user involvement at all. Nevertheless, service users expressed a desire for a high level of user involvement, compared with the low aspirations expressed by service providers. Service users' first priority for desired service developments was reduced waiting times, whereas service providers wished for increased provision of complementary therapies. Conclusions - The study highlighted important discrepancies regarding both desired level of user involvement and priorities for service developments between service users und providers. Given the current policies in this field and evidence that user involvement and closer partnerships between users and providers enhances treatment effectiveness, this lack of concurrence might be of major concern and working towards better understanding and balancing users' and providers' needs is highly recommended

Service-users’ experiences of an early intervention in psychosis service: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

OBJECTIVES: Previous research regarding Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services has mainly adopted quantitative methodologies, in order to study the effectiveness of EIP services. Research studies that have explored service-users' experiences of EIP services are small in number. This research aimed to explore service-users' experiences of being in contact with an EIP service, its impact of their experience of psychosis and current life situation. DESIGN: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to conduct an in-depth qualitative study of a small sample of EIP service-users, in order to explore their experiences of being in contact with the service. METHOD: Flexibly guided interviews were conducted with eight service-users who had been receiving a service from an EIP team for more than 2 years and were recruited using a purposive sampling method. Verbatim interview transcripts were analysed using IPA. RESULTS: Five super-ordinate themes, developed from the analysis, are discussed in sections: Stigma, Relationships, Understanding the experiences, Sense of agency, and Impact on sense of self. Sub-themes of these super-ordinate themes are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: The themes developed from the analysis were envisioned as representing an overarching theme of 'A personal journey of recovery', which was influenced by participants' involvement with the EIP service. Clinical implications include the need for EIP services, as with other mental health services, to find ways to promote recovery and create opportunities for agency and control. Future research directions are also discussed

Service user involvement in giving mental health students feedback on placement: a participatory action research study

Background Although the drive to engage service users in service delivery, research and education has mainstream acceptance, it is not easy to achieve meaningful involvement. The contribution that could potentially be made by users whilst accessing services is often overlooked. Objectives and Participants This study involved stakeholders (mentors, service users and a lecturer) working together to design, evaluate and refine a system enabling students to seek feedback from service users. The feedback concerned mental health students’ interpersonal skills and occurred whilst on practice placement. This research aimed to explore the experiences of those concerned when nine students attempted to learn from rather than about service users. Design A 2-year study, encompassing five cycles of participatory action research (PAR). Setting A small island community in the British Isles, adopting UK standards for pre-registration nurse education. Methods Data came from interviews with service users and mentors and a series of reflective group discussions with students who volunteered to try out the feedback mechanism. The deliberations of the PAR stakeholder group informed the research cycles and added to the data, which were subject to thematic analysis. Findings Findings indicated that service users volunteering to give feedback had unanimously positive experiences. Students’ experience lay on a continuum: those with a stronger sense of self were more willing and able to ask for feedback than less confident students. Cultural adjustment to the role change needed was challenging, requiring self-awareness and courage. Over time, all students achieved deep learning and, for some, learning appeared transformative. Conclusion Although contextual, the study concluded that the feedback initiative encouraged the development of more equitable relationships, in which mental health nurses respected the expertise of service users. This potentially benefits student development, recovery-orientated practice, service users and HEIs searching for meaningful ways to involve service users in learning and formative assessment

Mediated Computer Search Services Relative to Instruction Services: A Survey of One Health Sciences Library

To assess the quality and usefulness of one health sciences library's mediated computer search service, a survey was undertaken to determine satisfaction rates, why users do or do not use the service, and how useful the service is perceived to be in comparison to instructional service. Satisfaction rates were high, with users indicating librarian expertise and time/cost savings as the main reasons for using the service. Non-users indicated that they preferred to do their own searching, and many were unaware of the service. Though a majority of respondents do not currently use the service, surprisingly a majority of respondents placed significant value on the mediated search service in relation to instruction

Service users as peer research interviewers: why bother?

Drawing on two studies completed within the social housing sector, this chapter asks if there are advantages to peer interviewing, whereby those currently or recently receiving services interview their peers as part of a research project. Contribution is made to the broader methodological debate of how service users should be involved in research about their lives. Along with contributions from a peer interviewer, we examine the benefits to peer interviewers themselves, and whether there are any positive differences for the people being interviewed. This chapter argues that there are clear methodological advantages to peer interviewing as it can lend vital insights from rapport with those often regarded as ‘hardest to reach’. The chapter also discusses peer interviewing in terms of strategic risk and limitations, as well as practical and ethical considerations. Ways of developing peer research in general are also suggested