By seeing what makes activities desirable and accessible, we can understand how to improve the experiences of service users on wards. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This review found that very few studies have asked service users about what activities would be useful and why. It has also been found that little is known about what activities service users want, or how activities might be meaningful for them. Over many years, studies have reported a lack of activities, especially during evenings and weekends. Where wards have a good range of activities, for example art, music, computer games, gardening and exercise, service users felt less bored and had improved well-being. This is even more so for people detained under the Mental Health Act. WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Boredom is a big issue on inpatient mental health wards that is linked to poor patient satisfaction, feelings of frustration and increased incidents of self-harm and aggression.
