Patients' views of placement facilities: a participant-observer study.

The authors report a study in which five student nurses from a psychiatric hospital observed and talked with released patients in their new environments-family care homes, adult and boarding homes, nursing and health-related facilities, and their own family homes. Overall, these ex-inpatients seemed responsive to the physical and social features of their new environments. Some of the aspects most often noted as beneficial may have implications for inpatient facilities in terms of architecture, decor, clear differentiation of subunits, and greater exchange of information between inpatient and field staff.