Recovery-Oriented Care Planning in Mental Healthcare Services: A Combined Concept Analysis and Scoping Review.

Abstract

Recovery-oriented care planning is increasingly promoted within international mental health policy and practice; however, the concept remains inconsistently defined and operationalised across the literature. This study aimed to clarify the concept of recovery-oriented care planning using Walker and Avant's concept analysis method alongside a scoping review. Literature was systematically searched across six electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest One Academic and Scopus. Data were analysed across 28 included papers to identify antecedents, defining attributes, consequences, empirical referents and model cases of recovery-oriented care planning. The findings demonstrated that recovery-oriented care planning emerged from broader philosophical and policy shifts away from paternalistic and symptom-focused models towards collaborative, person-centred and recovery-oriented mental healthcare. Defining attributes included collaboration and shared decision-making, strengths-based and person-centred approaches, recovery-focused goal setting, empowering therapeutic relationships and viewing care planning as an ongoing and dynamic process. Recovery-oriented care planning was associated with increased empowerment, hope, autonomy, therapeutic alliance, self-management and more holistic and individualised care. Empirical referents included recovery-oriented care planning tools, collaborative planning processes and recovery-focused outcome and fidelity measures. This concept analysis provides greater conceptual clarity regarding recovery-oriented care planning and may support future research, education, policy development and implementation of recovery-oriented mental healthcare practices.