Patient satisfaction and ward atmosphere during a crisis in an open psychiatric ward

Background There is great need for useful indicators of quality of care for inpatient psychiatric treatment. The study examines whether patient satisfaction and ward atmosphere can be used as a means of evaluating an assumed decline in quality of care during a crisis in an open psychiatric ward. Methods Twice a year for 2 years ten patients filled out a standardized patient satisfaction questionnaire developed by the Swedish Institute for Health Services Development (SPRI) on their day of departure. At the same time all the patients in the ward evaluated the ward atmosphere using the Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS). In the third study period the ward went through a crisis where quality of care was expected to be lower. Results The SPRI questionnaire confirmed the decline in patients' perceived quality of care on six of 41 questions, WAS was markedly lower on five of ten subscales. Conclusions Both WAS and the SPRI questionnaire gave useful information on how the ward was affected by the crisis. WAS seemed to be a more sensitive way of measuring quality of care, while the SPRI questionnaire indicated more clearly the practical consequences.