ABSTRACT
We aimed to understand the expectations of families about a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit in the perspective of Alfred Schutz's phenomenological sociology. This is a qualitative and phenomenological research, with families of patients at a psychiatric inpatient unit of a university hospital in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Data were collected through phenomenological interviews, and the analysis was constructed in the light of phenomenological sociology. The results show that the expectations of the family in the Psychiatric Inpatient Unit are related to the interpretation and experiences they have in the world of everyday life; that these expectations should be valued in patient and family care; and that they may integrate the family in care for the patient. We hope to contribute so that professionals and managers reflect about the importance of understanding the expectations of families on a Unit, aiming to implement more effective health actions, based on the social relations among the subjects.
Psychiatric nursing; Mental health; Family; Hospitalization; sociology