Access to information on diagnosing and hospitalizing an individual with mental illness[xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn01"]¹[ign]

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify what health care professionals working in psychiatric hospitals think about access to information concerning the disease and hospitalization. Descriptive research using a qualitative approach was conducted in a psychiatric hospital. A total of 33 health care professionals with experience of hospitalizing and directly caring for patients participated in the study. The data were obtained using a semi-structured interview and participant observation and are presented in thematic categories: “The patient and the information provided: hospital norms and routines”; “The role of health care professionals in providing patients with information”; “Lack of information and its causes”. It was concluded that the access those with mental disorders have to information about their disorder and treatment is limited, showing the need to encourage awareness-raising activities in health care professionals about their role in providing information, to ensure the right to information is effectively guaranteed.