Comparison of Patient and Staff Surveys of Consumer Satisfaction

The preliminary findings suggest that involving consumers as surveyors in satisfactions studies produces findings that differ from those in studies by staff surveyors. Consumer involvement may help improve research validity and needs to be explored further. These initial attempts are encouraging and provide a basis for identifying consumers' concerns in order to help them become more effectively involved in their own care. Development of methods to validly assess consumer satisfaction can also have wide-ranging beneficial effects on the psychiatric community's ability to provide more appropriate services. Consumer involvement in satisfaction surveys can help us provide better services. To achieve optimal outcomes, treatment of mental illness must be a cooperative venture.