This study compares levels of satisfaction of patients and carers in the provision of home-provided acute care with traditional in-patient care, and further compares subjective level of family burden in both treatment settings.

Patients and their carers completed Verona Satisfaction Questionnaires, and carers completed family burden scale. Responses were compared between groups receiving home-delivered acute care and those receiving hospital-based care.

Satisfaction scores for home-care patients are higher for 28 of the 34 questions, and this difference reaches statistical significance (p < 0.05) for four questions, and approaches significance (p< 0.1) for two further questions. Carers in home care group indicate a higher degree of satisfaction on all 18 Verona Questionnaire items, this difference reached significance at p< 0.05 level for 4 items and p< 0.1 level for a further 5 items.

Results from family burden measure indicate consistent lowering of subjective burden in home care group, with lower burden scores in 20 of the 22 questions. This difference reached statistical significance (p< 0.05) for 5 items, including the summative item (Total Family Burden Score), and was close to significance (p< 0.1) for 3 other items.

These results indicate both patients and carers express a consistent preference for home-delivered care for acute psychiatric illness, compared with hospital-based model. In-addition, families report a reduction in burden related to illness episodes. These findings provide evidential support for continued development of community delivered care in meeting the increasing demand for acute psychiatric care services in Ireland.