Patient Satisfaction with Psychological Treatment on a Voluntary Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

Abstract

Despite the empirical literature suggesting the benefits of providing patient support and psychotherapy, research examining patient satisfaction with psychological services integrated within inpatient psychiatric treatment settings remains scarce. A sample of 122 adults within a voluntary inpatient psychiatric unit, who were receiving psychological services completed a satisfaction questionnaire. Overall, participants reported high levels of satisfaction with psychological services and perceived them as helpful to their overall care. These results remained consistent when exploratorily examining satisfaction and helpfulness prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings suggest the importance of integrating psychologists within inpatient psychiatric treatment settings. Future research may investigate the influence of psychological services on patient outcomes and how psychologists are perceived by other treatment team members.