An Exploration of Online Positive Feedback in Relation to Mental Health Nursing Practice

Abstract

Web-based databases of service user feedback have become an important resource for the task of understanding the quality of healthcare provision, both in the UK and internationally. This research explores positive feedback submitted to the Care Opinion website (https://www.careopinion.org.uk/), some of which can provide insights into effective mental health nurse practices. An iterative search was undertaken using the Care Opinion website on 7 March 2025. A set of tags which frequently identified effective mental health nursing practices was identified, and then 51 items of feedback were taken forward for full analysis. The data was then analysed in relation to the deductively selected domains of tone, form, and intent. These were identified in a typology produced by a previous study of 200 positive feedback items across multiple sources. In relation to tone, most pieces of feedback were entirely positive with a small number being mixed. The intent of the feedback was often to express gratitude but also functioned to emphasise change and contrast the helpfulness of certain staff or organisations against others which were experienced as less helpful. A typology of form was established, comprised of (1) Narratives of being there; (2) Narratives of listening and being heard; Narratives of therapeutic relationships; and Narratives of recovery. Positive feedback can provide a valuable insight into the experiences of service users. This research provides proof of concept evidence that knowledge can be gained about the impact of mental health nursing through the analysis of online feedback gathered through websites such as Care Opinion.