Additionally, consumers indicated that having a say in the services they received was important. While most consumers felt empowered in terms of having a say in their services, fewer believed that they had control over the types of services and treatments they received. In the last two waves of data collection, consumers were also asked how involved they were in developing their treatment plan, how much the treatment plan fit with what they wanted, how much responsibility they had for carrying out the treatment plan, and how involved they were in resolving crises that they experienced. Table 1 provides the results for these questions. Overall, consumers were more likely to report that they were responsible for carrying out their treatment plan than to report being involved in developing their plan.
Table contains frequencies and percent of valid responses.
Medication Empowerment Questions concerning involvement with medication decisions were added to the study in 1995 and these questions were asked of all consumers. Consumers were also asked how involved they were in decisions about the amount and kinds of medications they are prescribed. Consumers were then asked how important it was for them to be involved in medication decisions. Change over Time Consumer ratings of their degree of service empowerment have, for the most part, remained unchanged over time. Discussion A majority of consumers said that they have some say in their services and most believed that they had at least some control over the types of treatments or services they received.