To Örebro University

Objectives: Research on the prevention of violence implies that the organisations ability to create a good ward environment has a crucial influence on the risk of violence and patient safety (Bowers, 2014). The purpose of this study is to enhance our understanding of feelings of safety and unsafety at psychiatric wards from a patient perspective. In addition, the results will be compared with the views of psychiatric staff and ward managers.

Methods: In this study 17 adult patients, five women and 12 men, were interviewed from four different kind of psychiatric clinics. The main question was about patients’ perception of the ward and what makes it safe or unsafe in general, and in relation to 1) the ward’s physical design, 2) the ward’s routines and rules, 3) the staff’s approach to patients and 4) the presence of other patients. Qualitative content analysis was used with inductive approach to analyse and create themes and subthemes. The study is part of a larger program, where also 17 staff members and six ward managers at the same wards have been interviewed.

Results: The main results can be summarized in three themes. The first theme, the unpredictable psychiatry, concerns patients meeting with the psychiatric organization and its ability as a healthcare provider to meet the needs of the patients. The second theme is about the daily life at the ward, which was perceived as socially poor. The third theme, dealing with violations and aggressive behaviour, is about how participants addressed these problems and how they perceived that staff members and fellow patients acted in these situations.

Conclusion: Patients described relatively often a feeling of unsafety in terms of not being included, neither in their care and treatment nor socially at the ward. Comparative analyses of interviews with staff and managers are ongoing and will be presented at the conference.