The Psychiatrist (2003) 27: 305-308. doi: 10.1192/pb.27.8.305
© 2003 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by McGuire-Snieckus, R.
Right arrow Articles by Priebe, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by McGuire-Snieckus, R.
Right arrow Articles by Priebe, S.
Psychiatric Bulletin (2003) 27: 305-308
© 2003 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Patient, client or service user? A survey of patient preferences of dress and address of six mental health professions

Rebecca McGuire-Snieckus

Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, St Bartholomew’s and the Royal School of Medicine, Queen Mary, University of London, William Harvey House, West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE

Rosemarie McCabe, Senior Research Fellow

Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Newham Centre for Mental Health,

Stefan Priebe

Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry, Newham Centre for Mental Health

Declaration of interest

This survey is part of a 3-year project funded by the special trustees of St Bartholomew’s Hospital, the Joint Research Board.

Correspondence: e-mail: r.a.mcguire{at}mds.qmul.ac.uk

AIMS AND METHOD

A positive therapeutic relationship is essential to psychiatry and should take into account patients’ preferences. Preferences of 133 community care patients were surveyed regarding dress and forms of address of six professions. Participants’ sex, age, ethnicity and diagnosis were recorded.

RESULTS

Ninety-eight per cent of participants expressed a preference. While most preferred to be called ‘patients’ by general practitioners (75%) and psychiatrists (67%), there was no statistically significant difference in preference for the term ‘patient’ or ‘client’ when used by community psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists or social workers. Participants over the age of 40 preferred the term ‘client’. Asymmetrical relationships were preferred with general practitioners and psychiatrists, evidenced by a preference to be addressed by first name (71% and 68%, respectively), to address the professional by title (81% and 80%, respectively), and the professional to be ‘smartly’ dressed (67% and 66%, respectively).

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

A more differentiated approach may be suggested by taking professional background and some demographic characteristics into consideration.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 The PsychiatristHome page
P. Simmons, C. J. Hawley, T. M. Gale, and T. Sivakumaran
Service user, patient, client, user or survivor: describing recipients of mental health services
The Psychiatrist, January 1, 2010; 34(1): 20 - 23.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br. J. PsychiatryHome page
N. Craddock, D. Antebi, M.-J. Attenburrow, A. Bailey, A. Carson, P. Cowen, B. Craddock, J. Eagles, K. Ebmeier, A. Farmer, et al.
Wake-up call for British psychiatry
The British Journal of Psychiatry, July 1, 2008; 193(1): 6 - 9.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 The PsychiatristHome page
O. Haeney, R. Moholkar, N. Taylor, and T. Harrison
Service user involvement in psychiatric training: a practical perspective
The Psychiatrist, August 1, 2007; 31(8): 312 - 314.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Adv. Psychiatr. Treat.Home page
G. Livingston and C. Cooper
User and carer involvement in mental health training
Adv. Psychiatr. Treat., March 1, 2004; 10(2): 85 - 92.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]