What Families Have to Say about Community Treatment Orders (CTOs)

Qualitative studies provide a different kind of understanding of the effectiveness of community treatment orders (CTOs) by exploring the perspectives of stakeholders. This article documents a systematic review of 12 qualitative studies that explored the views of families of individuals on a CTO. Relevant databases and grey literature were searched. Themes were identified: the benefits of CTOs outweigh the disadvantages, CTOs increased their involvement in care, and families were dissatisfied with aspects of the CTO process. Recommendations include how to maximize the benefits of CTOs, reduce administrative burdens and employ strategies to increase involvement of families in the care of their loved ones.