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In many UK mental health services, in-patient psychiatric care is being separated from community care by having dedicated in-patient medical team. We evaluated staff satisfaction in this functionalised in-patient care. A survey was conducted amongst multidiscipli-nary staff from various teams using a questionnaire survey. On an average 14.3% of staff returned a satisfactory response for function-alisation, 57.3% had unsatisfactory response and others were undecided or perceived no change. There was no difference in responses amongst age, gender and professional groups. Mean scores of all groups were within unsatisfactory domain; however community staff compared to in-patient staff and staff with more than 5 years of experience compared to those with 1-5 years of experience returned significantly more unsatisfactory responses regarding functionalisation. Many positive and negative aspects of functionalisation were raised. The results of this evaluation suggest the need for further studies on the effectiveness of in-patient functionalisation. Short and long term clinical outcomes and the satisfaction of the patients should also be studied.

Treatment satisfaction of different mental disorders is still poorly understood, but of high clinical interest. Inpatients of a general psychiatric care hospital were asked to fill out questionnaires on satisfaction and clinical variables at admission and discharge. On the basis of an exploratory approach, differences in treatment satisfaction among diagnostic groups were examined by means of one-way analysis of variance. Potential associated clinical and socio-demographic variables were studied using multi/univariate tests. Patients with personality disorders (n=18) showed a significantly lower treatment satisfaction (ZUF-8, Zurich Satisfaction Questionnaire) and a slightly lower improvement of symptoms (CGI, Clinical Global Impression) and global functioning (GAF, Global Assessment of Functioning scale) than that of other diagnostic groups (n=95). Satisfaction in patients with personality disorders correlated much stronger with the symptom improvement and slightly with the functioning level than in patients without personality disorders. Interestingly, in patients with personality disorders psychopharmacological treatment in general (present versus not present) was independent from satisfaction. This exploratory investigation suggests that a lower satisfaction of patients with personality disorders in a general psychiatric hospital is mainly based on a reduced improvement of the symptoms and of the global functioning level.

The study investigates the relationship between hospital environmental factors and the well-being of geriatric in-patients. It aims to identify the impact of architectural design on comfort, safety, privacy and stress levels experienced by elderly patients during their hospital stays.

Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research assesses the experiences of 100 geriatric in-patients across various hospital types through surveys, observational checklists and state anxiety measurements. The methodology involves examining architectural features, patient perceptions and correlations among environmental variables and patient experiences. Statistical analyses, including correlations and chi-square tests, were employed to discern associations between environmental variables and patient experiences.

The research identified key architectural features significantly impacting geriatric patients' experiences. Factors such as sturdy beds, furniture quantity, lighting conditions, proximity to facilities and ward occupancy levels were found to influence spatial, sensory and social comfort. Notably, proximity to facilities and control over the immediate environment were crucial for self-control and safety perceptions. Privacy, highly valued by patients, correlated with the presence of curtains and ward occupancy. Moreover, patient stress levels exhibited correlations with autonomy, privacy and ward occupancy.

This research offers significant insights into the criticality of specific architectural elements in enhancing comfort and reducing stress for geriatric in-patients. These findings hold substantial value for healthcare facility design, emphasizing the need to prioritize certain design aspects to promote the well-being of elderly patients during hospitalization.

The purpose of this paper is to study serum lipids, lipoproteins, homocysteine (Hcy) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and to evaluate the relationship between serum lipids, lipoproteins, Hcy and PDGF in patients with hypertension.

In total, 85 patients with hypertension (34 males, 51 females) were recruited from October to December 2015 at Saraphi Hospital, Chiang Mai Province using purposive sampling. PDGF mRNA levels of the patients were analyzed using the RT-PCR method. Hcy was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. An enzymatic-colorimetric method was used to measure serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride. A low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level was calculated using Friedewald’s formula. Descriptive statistics and the Pearson product moment were also used in the analysis.

Among the patients with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, high levels of LDL-C, hypertriglyceridemia and hyperhomocysteinemia were found in 54.1, 70.7, 25.9 and 44.7 percent, respectively. In addition, PDGF was significantly correlated with Hcy (r=0.705; p<0.005). There was no association between serum lipids or lipoproteins and Hcy or PDGF in patients with hypertension.

The results of this study provide direction on how serum lipids, lipoproteins, Hcy and PDGF can be used as a guide to improving dietary management as a means of reducing cardiovascular disease, and stroke in patients with hypertension.

This manuscript is not currently under consideration, in press or published elsewhere. This manuscript is truthful original work without fabrication, fraud or plagiarism. The authors have made important scientific contributions to this study. The authors are familiar with the primary data, and have read the entire manuscript and take responsibility for it content. No benefits were received by the authors or any member of the authors’ family or the research team, from any commercial source, directly or indirectly related to this work. Moreover, no one affiliated with has any financial interest related to the subject matter of this manuscript.

Anxiety, depression and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are commonly reported in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and are of great interest for therapeutic approaches. Based on regional differences a quantitative assessment of these factors in comparison to the general population, and the consideration of demographic cofactors, would be useful when designing specific interventions. We adopted such an approach in a German cohort of MS patients. Anxiety, depression (HADS) and HRQoL (SF-36) were measured in 49 consecutive outpatients with MS and compared to age- and gender-adjusted control groups (n=1330 for HADS; n=5087 for SF-36) extracted from German National Health Surveys. Patients with MS showed significantly increased levels of anxiety and depression as well as decreased HRQoL with the exception of mental health; the effect sizes ranged from 0.39 (depression) to 1.06 (physical functioning). As could be expected, MS patients with relapsing-remitting clinical course had better physical functioning than patients with secondary progressive MS. There were strong relations between anxiety and depression (r=0.54; P<0.01), and between neurological impairment (EDSS) and physical functioning (r=-0.80; P<0.001) as well as depression (r=0.48; P<0.05). This investigation of MS patients confirms the prevalence and impact of anxiety, depression and most of the HRQoL dimensions in MS patients and provides evidence for the usefulness of a quantitative comparison to a region-specific general population as a starting point for therapeutic approaches.

Considerably diminished quality of life (QoL) is observed in patients with visual field defects after lesions affecting the visual pathway. But little is known to what extent vision-and health-related QoL impairments are associated with psychological distress. In 24 patients with chronic visual field defects (mean age=56.17±12.36) the National Eye Institute-visual functioning questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) for vision-related QoL, the Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) for generic QoL and the revised Symptom-Checklist (SCL-90-R) were administered. Cases with clinically relevant SCL-90-R symptoms were defined. Demographic, QoL and visual field parameters were correlated with SCL-90-R scales. About 40% of the investigated patients met the criteria for the definition of psychiatric caseness. 8/12 NEI-VFQ scales correlated significantly with SCL-90-R phobic anxiety (r-range -0.41 to -0.64, P<0.05), 5/12 NEI-VFQ scales correlated with SCL-90-R interpersonal sensitivity (-0.43 to -0.50), and 3/12 with SCL-90-R depression (-0.51 to -0.57) and obsessive-compulsiveness (-0.41 to -0.43). In contrast, only 1/8 SF-36 scales correlated significantly with SCL-90-R depression, phobic anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity (-0.41 to -0.54). No substantial correlations were observed between visual field parameters and SCL-90-R scales. Significant correlations of SCL-90-R with NEI-VFQ but not with SF-36 suggest that self-rated psychological distress is the result of diminished vision-related QoL as a consequence of visual field loss. The extent of visual field loss itself did not influence the rating of psychological distress directly, since SCL-90-R symptoms were only reported when diminished vision-related QoL was present. Patients with reduced vision-related QoL due to persisting visual field defects should therefore be offered additional neuropsychological rehabilitation and supportive psychotherapeutic interventions even years after the lesion.

The purpose of this paper is to discover if there is a correlation between scores on the Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ) scores of 43 patients with major depression.

In total, 43 adult patients with major depression were evaluated during their regularly scheduled outpatient appointment in a mental health clinic.

There was an R² value of 0.6544 between the patients’ scores, a moderate-to-strong correlation which matches other observations that cognitive impairment increases in conjunction with severity of depression. This correlation lends further clinical support to the legitimacy of using the CPFQ as a simpler alternative to traditional neuropsychological testing, with further testing of the correlation between CPFQ and traditional neuropsychological testing results being a worthwhile potential field of study.

Cognitive dysfunction is a frequent comorbidity in patients with depression, but while there is a brief and effective self- assessment for depression, the BDI, in common use, there is no equivalent test for cognitive dysfunction, and physicians are forced to rely on less accessible methods of neuropsychological testing.

In this paper, we contribute to the theorizing of patient involvement in organizational improvement by exploring concepts of “learning from patients” as mechanisms of organizational change. Using the concept of metaphor as a theoretical bridge, we analyse interview data (n = 20) from participants in patient engagement activities from two case study organizations in Ontario, Canada. Inspired by classic organizational scholars, we ask “what is the organization that it might learn from patients?”

Patient involvement activities are used as part of quality improvement efforts in healthcare organizations worldwide. One fundamental assumption underpinning this activity is the notion that organizations must “learn from patients” in order to enact positive organizational change. Despite this emphasis on learning, there is a paucity of research that theorizes learning or connects concepts of learning to organizational change within the domain of patient involvement.

Through our analysis, we interpret a range of metaphors of the organization, including organizations as (1) power and politics, (2) systems and (3) narratives. Through these metaphors, we display a range of possibilities for interpreting how organizations might learn from patients and associated implications for organizational change.

This analysis has implications for how the framing of the organization matters for concepts of learning in patient engagement activities and how misalignments might stymie engagement efforts. We argue that the concept and commitment to “learning from patients” would be enriched by further engagement with the sociology of knowledge and critical concepts from theories of organizational learning.

Although health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become an important outcome, specifically in regard to the impact of illness and treatment in patients with depression, few studies have explored the HRQOL of patients from different types of hospitals. This study aimed at examining a change in HRQOL of patients from various types of hospitals

A repeated measure was used in this study. Thirty participants in psychiatric outpatient units per center from the different types of hospitals, including a psychiatric hospital, regional hospital, general hospital and community hospital, were assessed with the Thai version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief (WHOQOL-BREF-THAI) questionnaire at the first visit, and after the 6th and 12th weeks of the treatment course.

The HRQOL scores for the participants were increased in each type of hospital from their first visit to the 6th week and 12th week (p < 0.001; except for the 6th week in the regional hospital, p < 0.01).

The findings reflected HRQOL in patients with depression in terms of the resources available in different types of hospitals that could be used as baseline data for the development of Thai mental health service systems.