Perceived quality of personal assistance : A literature survey of perceived quality in personal assistance according to studies conducted during the past 20 year’s implementation of the LSS act.

Background The Swedish Act regarding Support and Service for Persons with Certain Functional Impairments (LSS), in effect since 1994, guarantees good living conditions for the users and covers a wide range of user groups with regard to age, disability and severity of needs. The aim of the study was to examine the content of the intervention, to get an understanding how of the core concept, “good living conditions” has been interpreted and to gain an insight on how users perceive quality of their personal assistance. Method A literature survey of perceived quality in personal assistance was undertaken. The review was based on qualitative studies conducted during the past 20 year’s implementation of the act. Results The review emerge joint themes that perceives quality of personal assistance by the user. Overall outcomes shows that an efficient personal assistance is characterized by being in control in relation to the environment, trust of feeling safe and secure in relation to the assistant and performed assistance, and that actions through personal assistance as a whole provides well-being for both the user as well as for the family members. Prerequisites for the ability to exercise control by the user, in the management of personal assistance, are emerging as a key condition for the experience of quality. A dilemma for policy intervention is, however, how the principle of user control should be practiced when groups with weak user control require personal assistance. Conclusions The result shows that perceived quality of personal assistance are in line with general health care and social indictors, rather than performing the core concept of the LSS legislation. There is a need to further investigate how perceived quality of personal assistance falls out for users with different degrees of user control.Avhandlingsprojekt rättsäkerhet inom personlig assistan