What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to describe and compare perceptions of care quality among patients, next-of-kin, and healthcare professionals in community mental healthcare services.

April 18, 2026Community Mental Health Journal0 citationsOpen Access

Quality in Community Mental Health Care. From the Perspectives of Patients, Next-of-kin, and Healthcare Professionals

LALisbeth Kjelsrud Aass ASAgneta Schröder ØMØyfrid Larsen Moen

Key Points

The study aims to describe and compare perceptions of care quality among patients, next-of-kin, and healthcare professionals in community mental healthcare services.
Cross-sectional study design in Norway
Involvement of 140 participants: 43 patients, 43 next-of-kin, 56 healthcare professionals
Utilized translated quality assessment tools: QPC-COP, QPC-COPNK, QPC-COPS
Next-of-kin and healthcare professionals rated the overall quality of care lower than patients
High-quality ratings for the Encounter from all three perspectives
Lowest quality ratings were for Discharge (patients), Next-of-kin (next-of-kin), and Environment (healthcare professionals)
Interpersonal relationships were perceived as high-quality, with particular concerns about respect and trust noted by next-of-kin and professionals.

Abstract

Describe and compare patients’, next-of-kin’s and healthcare professionals’ perceptions of the quality of care in community mental healthcare services. Patients value family involvement in mental healthcare, but next-of-kin feel unprepared and lack the necessary skills to be supportive. Since healthcare professionals predominantly focus on patients, they may fail to understand the complex needs of families. Thus, the quality of community mental healthcare may vary across patients, next-of-kin, and healthcare professionals. Cross-sectional study with patients, next-of-kin and healthcare professionals in community mental healthcare services in Norway. 140 participants, of whom 43 are patients, 43 next-of-kin, and 56 healthcare professionals. Participants filled in the translated version of the Quality in Psychiatric Care − Community Out-Patient (QPC-COP), Community Out-Patient Next of Kin (QPC-COPNK), and Quality in Psychiatric Care- Community Outpatient Staff (QPC-COPS). Next-of-kin and healthcare professionals scored the overall quality of community mental healthcare lower than patients. All three perspectives reported the Encounter to be of high quality. Patients rated Discharge, next-of-kin rated Next-of-kin, and healthcare professionals rated Environmentas havingthelowest quality of care. Patients were generally more positive than the next-of-kin and healthcare professionals about the quality of community mental healthcare. Patients, next-of-kin, and healthcare professionals rated interpersonal relationship between patients and healthcare professionals as having the highest quality of care. However, lowest quality scores were given by next-of-kin regarding being respected and invited to take part, and by healthcare professionals regarding the patients’ trust in the healthcare professionals, and feeling secure in their home environment. This is important knowledge for health authorities, leaders, and mental healthcare clinicians in developing and providing quality care.

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