Acceso usuarios
Genève, Suiza
Genève, Suiza
Background and objectives Coercion is frequent in psychiatry, with an overall downward trend. Knowledge on the application of seclusion and restraint in open wards remains limited. We aimed to describe the prevalence of coercion in an open inpatient setting and identify risk factors for it.
Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of the use of seclusion and restraint in 2017 in the adult psychiatry division of Geneva University Hospital. To identify risk factors for coercion, we estimated incidence rate ratios using multivariable Poisson regressions.
Results Of 865 patients, 142 (16.4%) experienced at least one coercive measure (mostly seclusion). The incidence of coercion was higher in men, single patients, patients with psychotic or bipolar disorders, patients receiving disability benefits, patients with a higher number of previous psychiatric hospitalizations, and patients with higher global scores and higher scores on item 1 (overactive, aggressive or agitated behaviour) on Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS) at admission. Age and referrals from the emergency department were not associated with a higher risk of coercion.
Conclusion Risk factors for coercion were being male, being single, having psychotic or bipolar disorders, having previous psychiatric hospitalizations, having high HoNOS scores at admission, and being referred from outpatient centres or private physicians. Ratings on the first HoNOS item at admission might be sufficient for a pertinent aggression risk evaluation and thus for the prevention of coercion due to violence. This study is the first to analyse the risks of seclusion in open wards and calls for further research.
