The attendees' view of quality in community-based day centre services for people with psychiatric disabilities.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Community-based day centres in Sweden are well-established arenas for psychiatric rehabilitation, but little is known of the attendees' perception of the quality of the service provided. The aim of the study was thus to describe and investigate the quality of the services in community-based day centre for people with psychiatric disabilities.

METHODS: A sample of 218 attendees in 14 community-based day centre services in Sweden completed the Quality in Psychiatric Care - Daily Activities (QPC-DA).

RESULTS: The results showed that people with psychiatric disabilities perceived the quality of community-based day centre services as high. Most notably, quality of service was rated higher by those with lower educational level, had waited shorter time to attend the centre, and had better mental and physical health. However, particularly aspects of a secluded environment and participation (information) may be areas with potential for improvement.

CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: From an occupational science perspective, the results adhere to the importance of occupational balance, with periods of rest/privacy during the time at the centre.