Piloting a ‘Timeline of Crisis Tool’ with service users on admission to an acute psychiatric ward

Objective: Being admitted to a psychiatric ward can be a distressing and confusing experience. Our objective was to develop and pilot a Timeline Tool as a way of supporting service users in developing a narrative of their experiences in the run up to admission. Method: We designed and piloted a ‘Timeline of Crisis Tool’ with 50 service users, incorporating a card sort exercise, comprising eight factors relevant to people’s experiences in the run up to a crisis admission. We asked service users for feedback on the experience of completing the Timeline Tool. Results: Service user feedback indicated advantages of completing the Timeline Tool in terms of feeling listened to and respected, reflecting and making sense of experiences. Discussion: Collaborative completion of the Timeline Tool on admission could help foster good service user-staff relationships. Information arising from the completed tool could be used to increase shared decision-making in the development of care plans during inpatient admissions.