Patients versus Rehabilitation Practitioners: A Comparison of Assessments of Needs for Care

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: A group of 47 young adults suffering from schizophrenia was interviewed to garner their views on their needs for care. METHOD: Three members of a specialized multidisciplinary rehabilitation team, who had been caring for these patients, on average, for the past 4 years, completed a questionnaire to assess the needs for care of these individuals. Patient and staff assessments were then compared. RESULTS: Patients and staff do not share similar views on the presence of clinical and social problems. Further analyses of the perceived importance of living-skills deficits, the perceived difficulties in dealing with these, and the recent developments in rehabilitation practices challenge whether patient-staff consensus is indeed essential for rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: We propose that staff should listen to patients' points of view more carefully, especially in the areas of work, studies, and independent living.