Can I read Consumer? Views and preferences of people receiving public mental health care in Australia on the terms used to refer to them on EtoBox?

Consumer? Views and preferences of people receiving public mental health care in Australia on the terms used to refer to them by William Lugg; Andrew Levine; Robert Boyd is a Psychology article available to read on EtoBox.

What is Consumer? Views and preferences of people receiving public mental health care in Australia on the terms used to refer to them about?

Objectives To understand: a) whether adults receiving public mental health care were aware they were officially referred to as ‘consumers’ and, b) their views and preferences on the terms used to refer to them. Methods Single-page, anonymous survey conducted across two community mental health services in Northern New South Wales (NNSW). Ethics approval obtained from the local research office. Results 108 people completed the survey with a response rate of approximately 22%. The vast majority (77%) of respondents were not aware that they were officially referred to as ‘consumers’, of which 32% disliked the term and 11% found it offensive. Half preferred the term ‘patient’, particularly when consulting a psychiatrist (55%). A small minority (5–7%) preferred the term ‘consumer’ for any care interaction. Conclusion Most respondents in this survey wished to be referred to as a ‘patient’ and a large proportion disliked being referred to as a ‘consumer’ or found it offensive. Further surveys should include broader sociodemographic and diagnostic/treatment variables. Official terms used to refer to people receiving public mental health care should be person-centred and evidence based.

Who reads Consumer? Views and preferences of people receiving public mental health care in Australia on the terms used to refer to them?

Author

William Lugg; Andrew Levine; Robert Boyd

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Published

2023

Language

EN

Field

Psychology (Social Sciences)