| Learning Objective #1: Describe the conceptions of patients and their family members concerning counselling | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Understand the importance of developing client-centered counselling |
The data were gathered with a questionnaire developed for this study from the inpatients (n=856) and their relatives (n=313) of one hospital in Finland. The data were analysed by descriptive and multivariate methods.
The client-centered counselling was more significant in outpatient clinics than in the wards (p=0.023). However, the participants' life situations were not always taken into account in the process of counselling according to every fourth participant. In addition, 25 % of the respondents assessed especially counselling concerning social support as inadequate. Men (p=0.042) and 50-65 years old (p=0.005) were best supported. The most participants (83 %) regarded the conditions of counselling as relevant, collaboration with the health care staff as functional and the readiness of health care staff to counsel as good. However the attitudes of health care staff towards counselling were not always the best possible. The attitudes of health care staff towards counselling was more significant in wards than in the outpatient clinics (p=0.019). Participants felt health care staff mastered well only verbal individual counseling. The effects of counselling were assessed as small or non-existent by every third respondent. The least useful types of counselling were information to relatives and information concerning the patients' medication.
The counselling was mainly client-centered. The needs for the development of counselling were related to the client-centered process, content and methods of counselling as well as the attitudes of health care staff to counsel.