Patient requests: correlates and therapeutic implications for Hispanic, black, and Caucasian patients

Sueños de Béisbol: Hopes, Experiences, and Expectations of Professional Baseball Players in the Dominican Republic

More than 1,400 Latin American professional baseball players, age 16-21, are employed by 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) academies in the Dominican Republic. The popular press has highlighted scandals related to professional youth baseball player recruitment, selection, and exploitation in the academies, but little attention has been given to the academy experiences of youth baseball players from the perspective of the players themselves. For this research, 11 professional baseball players residing at an MLB Academy in the Dominican Republic participated in semi-structured interviews. Players described their transitions into the baseball academy system, their experiences in the academy, and their perceptions and expectations upon leaving or being released from the academy. Themes that emerged from the data included athletes’ hopes and dreams, stress, faith, and career transitions. Clinical implications of these findings for sport psychology practitioners are discussed.

Service user views and expectations of UK-registered mental health nurses: A systematic review of empirical research

OBJECTIVES

To review national (UK) literature in order to (i) examine service user and carer views of UK-registered mental health nurses; (ii) identify the diversity of populations from which these views have been collected; (iii) assess the methodological rigour of the current knowledge base and (iv) evaluate the extent to which service users and carers have been involved in the development and execution of this work. This paper reports only on service users' views.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

Electronic and evidence-based databases, reference checking and hand searching of key academic journals, national policy and user/carer organisational websites.

REVIEW METHODS

Two reviewers independently undertook study eligibility judgements and data extraction. Eligible studies were sub-classified according to service setting (inpatient/residential, community/non-residential or mixed/unspecified). Each study was assessed against key quality criteria. Data were synthesised in a narrative format.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirty two studies were included in the review. The majority were small-scale academic studies biased towards white, adult service users. Few studies provided evidence of user collaboration. Service users regard mental health nursing as a multi-faceted role delivering practical and social support alongside more formal psychological therapies. Service users report inadequate information provision, poor inter-professional communication and a lack of opportunities for collaborative care. Service users perceive inpatient mental health nurses as particularly inaccessible.

CONCLUSIONS

UK-registered mental health nurses should be equipped with both therapeutic clinical skills and generic skills associated with relationship building, engagement and communication. Future research should be conducted in collaboration with service users and include clear and effective mechanisms for the dissemination and implementation of research findings. In particular, the views of children and adolescents, the elderly and black and minority ethnic groups, currently under-represented in research, should be examined.

What do patients want and do we want to know? A review of patients' requests of psychiatric services

OBJECTIVE

A systematic review was conducted of the literature concerning patients' requests of psychiatric care in order to identify the types of requests patients make, psychiatrists' perceptions of their patients' requests, and the relationship between requests and the outcome of care.

METHOD

A total of 28 published original articles which fulfilled specific inclusion criteria were reviewed.

RESULTS

The studies showed that there are certain core requests that patients make irrespective of the type of service attended. Patients mainly request psychological approaches, and the most common requests are for 'clarification', 'psychological expertise' and 'psychodynamic insight'. There is evidence that patients normally feel inhibited about making requests, and that psychiatrists often fail to identify what their patients want.

CONCLUSION

The majority of patients attending psychiatric services have requests which they will express when encouraged to do so, but little is known about the relationship between patients' requests and the outcome of care. Recommendations are made for future research.