Attitudes of mental health professionals towards service user involvement.

Patient-centred care and user involvement in healthcare services are much emphasised globally. This study was the first step in a multicentre research project in Finland to improve service users' and carers' opportunities to be more involved in mental health services. The aim of the study was to assess attitudes of professionals towards service user involvement.

Staff support for back surgical patients and family members: does it improve coping at home?

Background: social support is an important form of external support to patients and families.

Purpose: Assessment of postoperative external support provided by staff to patients and family members at discharge from hospital and related factors.

Methods: Quantitative descriptive study conducted with surgical patients treated for disc herniation or spinal stenosis (N = 92) and family members (N = 55) in a central hospital in Finland in 2008-2010 to measure the importance of various forms of support and their association with respondents' overall postoperative coping.

Factors associated with general practice specialty training satisfaction - results from the Finnish Physician Study.

In Finland, achieving licensure as a specialist in general practice takes six years, with four years of training in primary care. Usually training arrangements are evaluated by trainees and their trainers. In this study the opinions of licensed GPs with experience of working in practice were specifically addressed.