Seclusion: A Patient Perspective

Service users' experiences of restrictive practices in adult inpatient mental health services. A systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative studies

BACKGROUND

There is a focus globally on reducing restrictive practices in mental healthcare. However, we know little about how service users experience restrictive practices generally.

AIM

To explore and synthesise experiences of restrictive practices in adult inpatients mental health settings and to report on the depth and breadth of the literature. Methods. CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, MEDLINE and Embase were searched. Qualitative studies exploring the service user experience of restrictive practices were included and analysed using meta-ethnographic synthesis.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven papers were included. Restrictive practices are experienced negatively by service users, who feel punished and powerless when the therapeutic relationship is weak, and communication is lacking. The third-order constructs were: (1) anti-therapeutic and dehumanising, (2) a vicious cycle, (3) an abuse of power and (4) the critical role of support and communication (subthemes: (i) the impact of communication and (ii) how support and communication can minimise negative impacts).

CONCLUSIONS

Participants suggest that increasing supportive communication and detailing the decision making for using restrictive practices, would reduce feelings of coercion and increase trust in staff. Future research into the experience of restrictive practice should aim to capture the experience of informal restrictive practices such as locked doors and coercive language.

PRSIMA/PROSPERO STATEMENT

The review has been conducted and reported in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA; see Supplemental Materials Table S1) and the Meta-Ethnography Reporting Guidelines (eMERGE; see Supplemental Materials Table S2). The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42023399272; URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023399272).

Adverse mental health inpatient experiences: Qualitative systematic review of international literature

BACKGROUND

Trauma has a well-established link with poor health outcomes. Adverse experiences in mental health inpatient settings contribute to such outcomes and should impact service design and delivery. However, there is often a failure to fully address these experiences.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the spectrum of negative experiences that people identify while they are inpatients in adult mental health services.

DESIGN

Qualitative systematic review of the international literature.

SETTING(S)

Inpatient mental health settings globally.

PARTICIPANTS

Analysis includes findings from 111 studies across 25 countries.

METHODS

CINAHL, MEDLINE and PsycINFO were searched from 2000 onwards, supplemented by Google Scholar. Studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme qualitative checklist. Data were synthesised using the 'best-fit' framework synthesis approach, enriched by patient and public involvement.

RESULTS

Adverse mental health inpatient experiences can be conceptualised under three headings: the ecosystem (the physical environment and the resources available, and other people within or influential to that environment); systems (processes and transitions); and the individual (encroachments on autonomy and traumatisation).

CONCLUSIONS

This paper highlights the interplay between systemic, environmental and individual factors contributing to adverse experiences in mental health inpatient settings. By recognising and addressing these factors, we can significantly enhance patient outcomes. Application of adversity to Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory provides a strategic approach to improving service design and delivery, advocating for environments that prioritise patient safety, dignity and respect. However, further research is needed to validate the framework and effectively integrate these insights into practice, ultimately transforming the inpatient care experience for all stakeholders.

REGISTRATION

The review was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; CRD42022323237).

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

Review suggests traumatic experiences in mental health inpatient settings can worsen outcomes. Urges redesign of environment, processes and autonomy to improve care @dr_nutmeg @EmxEn @RAVresearchUoB @IMH_UoB.

An Integrative Review on Psychiatric Intensive Care

Psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs) provide care and treatment when psychiatric symptoms and behaviors exceed general inpatient resources. This integrative review aimed to synthesize PICU research published over the past 5 years. A comprehensive search in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus identified 47 recent articles on PICU care delivery, populations, environments, and models. Research continues describing patient demographics, and high rates of challenging behaviors, self-harm, and aggression continue being reported. Research on relatives was minimal. Patients describe restrictive practices incongruent with recovery philosophies, including controlling approaches and sensory deprivation. Some initiatives promote greater patient autonomy and responsibility in shaping recovery, yet full emancipatory integration remains limited within PICU environments. Multidisciplinary collaboration is needed to holistically advance patient-centered, equitable, and integrative PICU care. This review reveals the complex tensions between clinical risk management and emancipatory values in contemporary PICU settings. Ongoing reporting of controlling practices counters the recovery movement progressing in wider mental healthcare contexts. However, care innovations centered on patient empowerment and humane environments provide hope for continued evolution toward more liberation-focused PICU approaches that uphold both patient and provider perspectives.

The experiences of nurses following seclusion or restraint use and immediate staff debriefing in inpatient mental health settings

AIM

The aim of this study is to explore nurses' experiences of seclusion or restraint use and their participation in immediate staff debriefing in inpatient mental health settings.

DESIGN

This research was conducted using a descriptive exploratory design and data were gathered through in-depth individual interviews.

METHODS

The experiences of nurses following seclusion or restraint use and their participation in immediate staff debriefing were explored via teleconference, using a semi-structured interview guide. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify prevalent themes from the data.

RESULTS

Interviews (n=10) were conducted with nurses from inpatient mental health wards in July 2020. Five themes emerged through the data analysis: (i) ensuring personal safety; (ii) grappling between the use of least-restrictive interventions and seclusion or restraint use; (iii) navigating ethical issues and personal reactions; (iv) seeking validation from colleagues and (v) attending staff debriefing based on previous experience. The themes were also analysed using Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Model of Stress and Coping.

CONCLUSION

Staff debriefing is a vital resource for nurses to provide and/or receive emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies. Mental health institutions should strive to establish supportive working environments and develop interventions based on the unique needs of nurses and the stressors they experience following seclusion or restraint use.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Nurses in both frontline and leadership roles were involved in the development and pilot test of the interview guide. The nurses who participated in the study were asked if they can be recontacted if clarification is needed during interview transcription or data analysis.

Development of a Culturally Sensitive Recovery-Oriented Nursing Care Model in Community Psychiatric Nursing

The current study aimed to develop a culturally sensitive recovery-oriented nursing care model in community psychiatric nursing. Through an exploration of recovery-oriented nursing care based on cultural sensitivity, which was done in a prior study and through a literature review, an initial model with six categories was developed. Semi-structured interviews were performed with eight community psychiatric nurses who used the model for 2 months in practice. Qualitative description was used to analyze the data. Participants completed a list of care items in each category of the model to compare ease of practice. The model was further refined to three levels of culturally sensitive nursing care. The model showed the importance of reflection based on recognition of cultural influences, relinquishing the power of the profession, and cooperation that accepts diverse values. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 61(8), 25-33.].

Nurses' perceptions of nurse-patient communication in seclusion rooms in psychiatric inpatient care: A focus group study

INTRODUCTION

Communication between nurses and patients is essential in mental health nursing. In coercive situations (e.g. seclusion), the importance of nurse-patient communication is highlighted. However, research related to nurses' perceptions of nurse-patient communication during seclusion is scant.

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe nurses' perceptions of nurse-patient communication during patient seclusion and the ways nurse-patient communication can be improved.

METHOD

A qualitative study design using focus group interviews was adopted. Thirty-two nurses working in psychiatric wards were recruited to participate. The data were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Nurses aimed to communicate in a patient-centred way in seclusion events, and various issues affected the quality of communication. Nurses recognized several ways to improve communication during seclusion.

DISCUSSION

Treating patients in seclusion rooms presents highly demanding care situations for nurses. Seclusion events require nurses to have good communication skills to provide ethically sound care.

CONCLUSION

Improved nurse-patient communication may contribute to shorter seclusion times and a higher quality of care. Improving nurses' communication skills may help support the dignity of the secluded patients. Safewards practices, such as respectful communication and recognizing the effect of non-verbal behaviour, could be considered when developing nurse-patient communication in seclusion events.

RELEVANCE STATEMENT

This study deepens the understanding of nurse-patient communication during seclusion events from the perspective of nurses. Caring for patients in seclusion presents challenging situations for nurses and demands that they have good communication skills. To enhance their communication skills in seclusion events, nurses require opportunities to take part in further training after education related to communication skills for demanding care situations. Knowing the appropriate ways to interact with individual patients during seclusion can help nurses create and maintain communication with patients. For mental health nursing, nurses' enhanced communication may promote increased use of noncoercive practices in psychiatric settings. For patients, improving nurses' communication skills may help support dignity and autonomy during seclusion and shorten the time spent in seclusion, resulting in a better quality of care and more positive patient experiences related to care offered in seclusion. In this, the perspectives of people with lived experience of mental health problems should be acknowledged. Components of Safewards practices, such as using respectful and individual communication and paying attention to one's non-verbal communication (Soft Words), could be useful when developing nurse-patient communication in seclusion events.

Current trends in restrictive interventions in psychiatry: a European perspective

This article reviews current evidence on the use of coercive measures, including seclusion and restraint, in psychiatric in-patient settings in Europe. There is a particular focus on evidence regarding the use of mechanical restraint. The review seeks to describe when the use of restrictive interventions such as restraint may be necessary, to explore the use of restraint in certain specialist settings and to investigate current laws and European policies on seclusion and restraint. The current rates of restraint in European psychiatric settings are explored, with a discussion of the limitations of the evidence currently available. The article discusses various consequences of seclusion and restraint, potential alternatives to their use and strategies to minimise their use and harm to patients. The use of coercive measures from an international context is considered, to provide context.

What should be the future focus of mental health nursing? Exploring the perspectives of mental health nurses, consumers, and allied health staff

The landscape of mental health care and service delivery is changing, as is our understanding of the underlying causes for mental distress. It is now apparent that biogenic explanations have been overstated and instead experiences of trauma and adversity constitute the main contributor to people's experiences of mental health challenges. The shortcomings of treatments traditionally used in mental health care are also evident, and with a contemporary focus on person-centred care, the utility of diagnostic labels has been called into question. Taking all this into consideration, this study sought to explore, what should be the future focus of mental health nursing? Three separate focus groups were conducted. One with a sample of senior clinical mental health nurses, one with a sample of consumer representatives and another with allied health professionals. The common theme across all three focus groups was the centrality of the therapeutic role of mental health nurses (MHNs). Consumers and allied health participants, in particular, advocated for a de-emphasis on medications, psychiatric diagnoses, and custodial practices. The MHNs role in health promotion, working collaboratively with consumers, being hopeful, understanding the individual perspective, and appreciating the social determinants of mental health were all highlighted in framing the future focus of MHN practice.

Recovery-oriented nursing care based on cultural sensitivity in community psychiatric nursing

Transforming to recovery-oriented care is an urgent issue in community psychiatric nursing in Japan. Because traditional psychiatry is still influential, nurses are required to possess cultural sensitivity to objectively view conflicts between values when providing recovery-oriented care. If recovery-oriented care based on cultural sensitivity is clarified, it would help nurses providing recovery-oriented care in non-recovery-oriented environments. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify recovery-oriented nursing care based on cultural sensitivity in community psychiatric nursing in Japan. A semi-structured interview with 21 community psychiatric nurses and participant observations for seven of them were performed. A qualitative description was undertaken to analyse the data. The relationships between categories were examined. The study conforms to the COREQ checklist. Through the analysis, six categories were revealed: 1. Continuously reflecting on one's own practice and the influence of the traditional mental health culture; 2. Constructing a partnership with clients to uphold their rights and responsibilities; 3. Having client-centred dialogue to help them enjoy life and grow; 4. Supporting clients' lives and strengthening their self-management; 5. Working as a team to achieve clients' wishes, which includes some risks, and 6. Maintaining a relationship between clients and the people who care for them. Category 1 was central and enclosed by categories 2, 3 and 4. Categories 5 and 6 were located outside of categories 1 to 4. The results showed cultural sensitivity enables recovery-oriented care even in non-recovery-oriented environments and include recognizing the traditional mental health culture, understanding clients' experiences and accepting other's values.