Evaluation of Physical and Therapeutical Restraint in the Emergency Psychiatry Wards of Farabi Hospital on Isfahan, Iran

Aim and Violence and agitation of the patient in the psychiatric ward must be considered in the context of the physical and drug inhibition of the patient. Despite the fact that some experts consider controlling the patients necessary for controlling the violence, many believe that inhibition of mentally-ill patients is a violation of human rights. They, in fact, are worried physical and psychological complications of the inhibition. Therefore, considering that the amount of inhibition of patients in psychiatric units is considered as a health index, and considering the negative effects of these interventions, the present study was conducted to investigate the status of physical and drug inhibition in acute psychiatric wards of Farabi Hospital of Isfahan, Iran.
Methods and Materials: In this research, a researcher-made data collection form was used. This form included demographic characteristics and patient psychiatric diagnosis as well as information on the patient's process of inhibition. For each case of inhibition in the study period, a form was filled up and then analyzed statistically.
Findings: During the one-month study period, 144 patients were under different types of inhibition, and 399 patients were physically and pharmacologically inhibited separately or simultaneously. Regarding physical inhibition, it was found that the majority of inhibition cases were performed in a general room of patients by a dual procedure, by two personnel and for a period of 1 to 8 hours. The most common causes of physical and drug inhibition were verbal abuse and insomnia, respectively. No drug complication was observed during the study period, and the pain was the most common complication of physical inhibition. Haloperidol was used most commonly for drug inhibition.
Knowing how current inhibition is, changing the culture and moving away from overwhelming and intolerable inhibition methods are the ways to implement the modern physical and drug inhibitions. It, in turns, leads to obviate the medical constraints and enhance the motivation of patients to remain in the treatment procedure.