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

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.

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