A study on the patient journey map of inpatients with mood disorders

To explore the emotional responses, behavioral adaptations, and core needs of inpatients with mood disorders during the admission, hospitalization, and discharge phases, and to construct their inpatient journey map, thereby providing a basis for optimizing psychiatric healthcare services. A qualitative research approach utilizing interpretive phenomenological analysis was adopted. Through purposive sampling, 15 inpatients with mood disorders from a tertiary A-grade psychiatric hospital in Fujian Province were selected for semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method, and patient experiences across the three phases were mapped based on the patient journey map framework. The study found that the mode of admission (voluntary/involuntary) proved to be decisive for patients’ initial emotions and subsequent adaptation. Involuntarily admitted patients commonly experienced intense feelings of trauma, anger, and helplessness. During hospitalization, while patients gained a sense of security within the structured environment, they also faced challenges such as restricted freedom, monotonous activities, and insufficient personalized care. Treatment-related fears and environmental discomfort emerged as significant negative experiences. In the discharge phase, patients commonly expressed widespread concern about relapse, resistance to re-hospitalization, and strong expectations for continuity of support systems. Based on these findings, the study proposes phased intervention recommendations, including optimizing admission communication, enhancing autonomy and humanized experiences during hospitalization, and constructing a seamless “hospital-family-community” continuous care system. The patient journey map reveals the changes in emotions, behaviors, and needs of inpatients with mood disorders throughout their entire journey. It suggests that psychiatric services should evolve from a “disease-centered” to a more “patient-centered” approach. Optimizing the entire journey experience is therefore crucial for enhancing patients’ treatment engagement and rehabilitation outcomes.