Service User and Carer Views and Expectations of Mental Health Nurses: A Systematic Review

Service users’ views and expectations of mental health nurses in a UK context were previously reviewed in 2008. The aim of this systematic review is to extend previous research by reviewing international research and work published after the original review. Five databases were searched for studies of any design, published since 2008, that addressed service user and carer views and expectations of mental health nurses. Two reviewers independently completed title and abstract, full-text screening and data extraction. A narrative synthesis was undertaken. We included 49 studies. Most included studies (n = 39, 80%) were qualitative. The importance of the therapeutic relationship and service users being supported in their personal recovery by mental health nurses were core themes identified across included studies. Service users frequently expressed concern about the quality of the therapeutic relationship and indicated that nurses lacked time to spend with them. Carers reported that their concerns were not taken seriously and were often excluded from the care of their relatives. Our critical appraisal identified important sources of bias in included studies. The findings of our review are broadly consistent with previous reviews however the importance of adopting a recovery approach has emerged as a new focus.