Background: Recovery is a key concept in mental health care and contributes to improving clinical practice and the quality of life of individuals living with schizophrenia. However, mental health professionals do not yet share a unified perspective and understanding of the recovery process. The aim of this study was to review healthcare professionals perspectives on schizophrenia recovery. Methods: A literature search was conducted using electronic databases including PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCO), ProQuest, and ScienceDirect, covering the years 2009 to 2019. The search employed the following keyword combinations: (Perceptions) AND (Health Workers) OR (Nursing) OR (Doctor) OR (Psychiatrists) AND (Recovery) AND (Schizophrenia). Eligible studies included original articles with healthcare professionals as participants that examined perspectives on schizophrenia recovery. Results: Out of 439 studies screened, eight met the inclusion criteria: four qualitative studies (n = 79), three quantitative studies (n = 756), and one mixed-methods study (n = 174). Two major themes emerged: positive and negative perspectives. Positive perspectives emphasized that patients could achieve full recovery without long-term medication, engage in daily activities and employment, and experience reduced symptoms. In contrast, negative perspectives conceptualized recovery within a biomedical framework, highlighting barriers such as the impossibility of full recovery, medication dependence, and relapse. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals hold diverse perspectives on schizophrenia recovery. These varying viewpoints may influence both the recovery process of individuals with schizophrenia and decision-making in mental health services. Findings from this review may serve as guidance for healthcare professionals to enhance their understanding of schizophrenia recovery.
Tasijawa et al. (Thu,) studied this question.