Comparison of patient satisfaction with community-based vs. hospital psychiatric services

Objective: previous work suggests that psychiatric patients are more satisf ied with community-based than with hospital-based services, but it is not c lear how far these findings can be generalized to routine services. The aim of this study was to compare the satisfaction of patients with psychosis b etween a hospital-based service in London, UK and a community-based service in Verona, Italy. Method: The Verona Service Satisfaction Scale (VSSS) was used to measure sa tisfaction among patients with psychosis in Nunhead (London) and South Vero na. Results: Satisfaction across all dimensions was higher in South Verona than in Nunhead. Sociodemographic and service use differences between the two g roups were insufficient to explain this difference. Conclusion: This study suggests that experimental findings that patients pr efer community-based to hospital psychiatric services can be generalized to routine services.