Qualitative Assessment of Access to Community Mental Health Centers from the Perspectives of Patients, Patient Relatives, and Healthcare Professionals
- 1İSTANBUL MEDENİYET ÜNİVERSİTESİ
- 2UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, İSTANBUL BAKIRKÖY PROF. DR. MAZHAR OSMAN APPLICATION AND RESEARCH CENTER FOR PSYCHIATRIC AND NERVE DISEASES
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate access to Community Mental Health Centers and the experience of services provided at these centers from the perspectives of patients, their relatives, and healthcare personnel. Method: A phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research designs, was employed, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 15 participants—5 patients, 5 patient relatives, and 5 healthcare professionals—registered at a Community Mental Health Center in Istanbul were selected through purposive sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted using 15 semi-structured, open-ended questions, five per group. Results: The analysis yielded two main themes: "views on Community Mental Health Centers" and "activities/therapeutic events/patient behaviors." The first theme, examined under five subcategories, revealed how the services are perceived at individual and societal levels. The second theme, comprising six subcategories, demonstrated the effects of social and therapeutic activities on patient behaviors along with participants' observations and assessments. Conclusion: Healthcare personnel contributed to service quality and positive support of patient behaviors by evaluating the system holistically. Patient relatives adopted a more critical stance regarding the effectiveness of services and voluntary participation, expecting more visible outcomes. Patients focused on their own experiences—loneliness, socialization, reasons for seeking care, and behavioral changes—indicating that Community Mental Health Centers constitute an important social space for individual well-being.
Related
- Accessibility of essential medicines and vaccines among fisherfolk, artisanal miners and pastoralists in Mainland Tanzania: a qualitative study of barriers and strategies from the perspectives of healthcare professionals and community leaders.
- What is an ideal mHealth for post-discharge home care of CHD: perspectives from primary caregivers, healthcare professionals, and project technical consultants: a qualitative research study
- Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives on Agentic Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Work: A Qualitative Study.
- How Can We Help People With Long‐Term Health Conditions Understand and Engage in Physical Activity Maintenance From Healthcare to Community Settings? Perspectives of Patients, Carers and Professionals
- Healthcare professionals’ perspectives on implementing opt-out smoking cessation in perioperative and cancer care in the Netherlands: A qualitative interview study
BibTeX
@article{kokcealan2026qualitative,
title = {{Qualitative Assessment of Access to Community Mental Health Centers from the Perspectives of Patients, Patient Relatives, and Healthcare Professionals}},
author = {Sultan Kökcealan and Yeşim Maçça Polat and Ayşe Okanlı and Beyza Şekeroğlu and Neslihan Dolu and Nesrin Karamustafalıoğlu},
journal = {Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.18863/pgy.1919220},
url = {https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1919220},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Qualitative Assessment of Access to Community Mental Health Centers from the Perspectives of Patients, Patient Relatives, and Healthcare Professionals
AU - Sultan Kökcealan
AU - Yeşim Maçça Polat
AU - Ayşe Okanlı
AU - Beyza Şekeroğlu
AU - Neslihan Dolu
AU - Nesrin Karamustafalıoğlu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar
DO - 10.18863/pgy.1919220
UR - https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1919220
AB - Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate access to Community Mental Health Centers and the experience of services provided at these centers from the perspectives of patients, their relatives, and healthcare personnel. Method: A phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research designs, was employed, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of 15 participants—5 patients, 5 patient relatives, and 5 healthcare professionals—registered at a Community Mental Health Center in Istanbul were selected through purposive sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted using 15 semi-structured, open-ended questions, five per group. Results: The analysis yielded two main themes: "views on Community Mental Health Centers" and "activities/therapeutic events/patient behaviors." The first theme, examined under five subcategories, revealed how the services are perceived at individual and societal levels. The second theme, comprising six subcategories, demonstrated the effects of social and therapeutic activities on patient behaviors along with participants' observations and assessments. Conclusion: Healthcare personnel contributed to service quality and positive support of patient behaviors by evaluating the system holistically. Patient relatives adopted a more critical stance regarding the effectiveness of services and voluntary participation, expecting more visible outcomes. Patients focused on their own experiences—loneliness, socialization, reasons for seeking care, and behavioral changes—indicating that Community Mental Health Centers constitute an important social space for individual well-being.
SN - 1309-0674
SN - 1309-0658
ER -