La valutazione del clima di reparto nelle Comunità Terapeutiche Riabilitative Protette: uno studio osservazionale di coorte

The concept of “social climate” or “ward atmosphere” means the interaction between physical and emotional factors characterizing a specific clinical environment, affecting people inside. Literature shows that the clinical treatment variables are directly affected by the ward atmosphere. Aim: to measure the mental health operators’ and service users’ perception about ward atmosphere, within some supported residential facilities (CTRP) afferent to the AULSS 3 Serenissima, focusing on the main similarities and differences identifiable in the comparison of the demographic, professional and clinical variables. This observational cohort study included 50 professionals and 37 users of 4 CTRP, administering the questionnaire ESSENCES-I. The comparison between staff and service users’ groups shows significant differences. In the sub scale “Patients’ Cohesion and Mutual Support” service users think to support each other more than the staff perceive; in the sub scale “Experienced Safety” patients feel more secure than staff, and in “Therapeutic Hold” emerges that the staff feels to give more therapeutic support than the services users perceive. The ward atmosphere seems to be also affected by the kind of service. Monitoring the ward atmosphere in psychiatric settings can be very useful to detect the changing of physical and social environment and treatment outcomes.