Introduction: Research on staff perception of ethical aspects of psychiatric patient care are scarce; little is known about systematic supplies of ethics support in psychiatric institutions. The goal of this pilot study is to inform the implementation of Clinical Ethics Support Services in psychiatric institutions by assessing which topics of psychiatric practice are considered ethically challenging by the staff.
Method: Explorative survey as pilot study by questionnaire with clinical staff, quantitative (descriptive) and qualitative (coding) data-analysis.
Results: Involuntary treatment, the relationship between healthcare professionals and patients, staff shortage and the collaboration between the professions as well as dealing with patient relatives came up as ethical challenges.
Conclusions: Clinical Ethics Support in psychiatric patient care should not only cover aspects that are specific for psychiatry, but also structural topics such as short resources, interprofessional collaboration and communication with relatives.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.