DClinPsy Portfolio Volume 1 of 3 - University of Hertfordshire ...

- Do all professionals decide who the most appropriate person is to ask certain
questions before the patient is called in?
- Are patients often asked questions that take them into painful or intimate areas of
their life?
- Is the length of the meeting adequate?
- Is the patient present throughout the whole discussion of their care?
- Is the name of the meeting reflective of its function?
- Is there a structured agenda based on a holistic care plan drawn up?
A comments section, with space for additional views to be expressed, was available at the
bottom of the questionnaire.
Participants
The participants included the staff members that attended ward rounds and volunteered to
complete a questionnaire. The professionals were from the Adult and Older Adult mental
health services in North-West Essex. Some of these professionals worked only on the
inpatient wards whilst others also worked in the community/outpatient service.
Participants were divided into the following professional groups: Psychology, Psychiatry,
Nursing and ‘Other’ (which included social work and occupational therapy). There were
40 participants in total.
Procedure
This study was not an audit as it did not analyse whether an identified standard set within
the team had been met.
Data Analysis
Descriptive statistics were used to examine the questions to see whether the professional
groups differed in their opinions regarding what aspects of a ward round were most
important and what they entail. A Spearman rank correlation was also carried out to
further elucidate any relationships between the professionals’ opinions. A content
analysis of the comments section in the questionnaire was undertaken to ascertain the
main themes identified by the team members, ( Krippendorff, 2004).
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