Patients' Perspectives on and Nurses' Attitudes toward the Use of Restraint/Seclusion in a Turkish Population

• Published in: International journal of caring sciences 2016-09, Vol.9 (3), p.932
• Main Authors: Okanli, Ayse, Yilmaz, Emine, Kavak, Funda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aggressiveness; Attitudes; Debates; Intervention; Methods; Nurses; Patients; Studies; Violence
• ISSN: 1791-5201; 1792-037X

This study was carried to determine patients' perspectives and nurses' attitudes to the use of restraint/seclusion in psychiatry clinics. The participants included patients who had been previously restrained/seclusioned and nurses working at the Elazig Psychiatric Hospital. Data were collected for 64 nurses and 80 patients who had been restrained, agreed to participate in the research, and were capable of answering the questions, without any sample selection. To collect data, questionnaire form was used. Looking at the knowledge and attitudes toward the use of restraint/seclusion, many nurses did not want restraint/seclusion to be prohibited. They were upset when a patient was restrained and regarded patients' aggressive behavior (against themselves, personnel, furniture) as the cause of the restraint. Patients stated that they were upset and felt punished when they were restrained. They thought the reason for the restraint/seclusion was aggressive behavior against other patients or personnel. The patients stated that their needs (nutrition, excretion, etc.) were not met during the restraint/seclusion period. Most of the patients had negative attitudes toward restraint/seclusion and did not consider it therapeutic. As a recommendation, in-service training for reducing the frequency of restraining practice can be given to staff who work in psychiatric services.