Objective: With changes in healthcare delivery and public expectations of psychiatry and psychiatric services changing, we set out to explore how other professions and psychiatrists themselves see their roles. In the UK and the USA, recent political imperatives have influenced training and roles of psychiatrists. We wanted to explore patient and carer perspectives as well.
Methods: We conducted two focus groups with patients and carers to explore their views about the roles of the psychiatrist. For occupational therapists and social workers, a brief questionnaire was placed on their respective professional organization's website. Psychiatric trainees and psychiatrists attending different meetings were asked to fill in the questionnaire.
Results: Patients and carers wanted to be more involved in planning their care. In common with other groups, being technically competent, being honest, approachable and being a good listener were general characteristics of a good psychiatrist. Occupational therapists saw psychiatrists as having a unique expertise and ability to provide leadership and also having skills in teaching, research, evaluating evidence and being respectful of other professions. Social workers would like psychiatrists to look beyond the medical model.
Conclusions: In spite of different methods of collecting information, common themes emerge in what stakeholders expect from psychiatrists. As a profession, we need to respond to this.
BhugraD. Professionalism and psychiatry: the profession speaks. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica2008; 118: 327–329–
2.
BhugraDBaldwinDDesaiM. Focus groups: implications for primary and cross-cultural psychiatry. Primary Care Psychiatry1997; 3: 45–50–
3.
CruessS. Professionalism and medicine's social contract with society. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research1996; 449: 170–176–
4.
SoxHC. The ethical foundations of professionalism: a sociologic history. Chest2007; 131: 1532–1540–
5.
MontgomeryK. How Doctors Think. New York: Oxford University Press2006–
6.
BhugraD. Professionalism and psychiatry: past, present, future. Australasian Psychiatry2009–
7.
JoynerBDVemulakondaVM. Improving professionalism: making the implicit more explicit. Journal of Urology2007; 177: 2289–2293–
8.
ChardDEsharkawyANewberryN. Medical professionalism: the trainees’ view. Clinical Medicine2006; 6: 68–71–
9.
RatanawongsaNBolensSHowellE CKernD ESissonS DLarrivierreD. Residents’ perceptions of professionalism in training and practice: barriers, promoters and duty hour requirements. Journal of General Internal Medicine2006; 21: 758–763–
10.
WagnerPHendrickJMoseleyGHudsonV. Defining professionalism: a qualitative study. Medical Education2007; 41: 288–294–
