RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Service user participation in direct service provision and evaluation has been developing in the western world in the past 20 years. However, this recovery-based care model is relatively new in Asia. AIM: To understand the views and perceptions of the service users and of psychiatric nurses about the recruitment of peer specialists in a regional psychiatric unit in Hong Kong. METHOD: A qualitative study using probe questions to understand the above issues in the form of focus group discussion. A total of 13 psychiatric nurses and 16 mental health service users were recruited from a regional psychiatric unit for the study. RESULTS: Content analysis based loosely on grounded theory has identified several important themes. While service users are generally enthusiastic about the potential contribution of peer specialists in a service setting, they are much concerned about rejection and discrimination by the psychiatric staff. Psychiatric nurses are also sceptical about the involvement of peer specialists in the delivery of service, although for an entirely different set of reasons. In view of the divergent views of the service users and the psychiatric nurses, a second round of focus group discussion was conducted seven months later to understand whether the themes distilled were consistent with their views expressed in the first round of focus group discussion. CONCLUSION: It is encouraging is that, for those psychiatric nurses who worked with volunteer service users in the pilot scheme of 'expert user participation', there was a change in view towards positive acceptance about peer specialist involvement in service delivery. The study provides some insight into the potential obstacles to and opportunities in the implementation of peer specialist services in routine psychiatric services in Hong Kong.