COVID-19 pandemic in a mental health ward: inpatient admissions, use of mechanical restraint and aggressions

Guzmán‐Parra, José; Sánchez-Lafuente, Carlos Gómez; Medina, Mónica García; Aguilera-Serrano, Carlos; Moreno‐Küstner, Berta; Hurtado-Melero, Verónica; García‐Sánchez, Juan Antonio; Bordallo-Aragón, Antonio; Mayoral-Cleries, Fermín

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2112556/v1

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, it is currently unknown whether R/S intervention use changed in other clinical settings, such as EDs, which saw dramatic changes in service provision during the pandemic [4,[10][11][12]. Similarly, existing research has focused solely on R/S use for patients with MH issues [33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41], despite the fact that SU-related concerns increased on par with MH-related concerns during the pandemic [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] and are a known risk factor for the use of R/S interventions [42,43].…”

Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of restraint and seclusion interventions in Ontario emergency departments: A population-based study

Weissflog,

Kim,

Rajack

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While COVID-19 impacted all aspects of health care and patient treatment, particularly for patients with mental health/substance use (MH/SU) concerns, research has suggested a concerning increase in the use of restraint and seclusion (R/S) interventions, although results vary depending on facility type and patient population. Thus, the present study sought to explore COVID-related changes in the use of R/S interventions among patients presenting to Ontario emergency departments (EDs) with MH/SU complaints. To determine whether temporal and clinical factors were associated with changes in R/S use during COVID, binary logistic regression models were computed using data from the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System database. We then compared both prevalence rates and probability of an R/S event occurring during an ED visit in Ontario before and after the onset of COVID. The number of ED visits during which an R/S event occurred for patients presenting with MH/SU concerns increased by 9.5%, while their odds of an R/S event occurring during an ED visit increased by 23% in Ontario after COVID onset. Similarly, R/S event probability increased for patients presenting with MH/SU concerns after COVID onset (0.7% - 21.3% increase), particularly during the first wave, with the greatest increases observed for concerns associated with increased restraint risk pre-COVID. R/S intervention use increased substantially for patients presenting to Ontario EDs with MH/SU concerns during the first wave of COVID when the strain on healthcare system and uncertainty about the virus was arguably greatest. Patients with concerns already associated with increased R/S risk also showed the largest increases in R/S probability, suggesting increased behavioural issues during treatment among this population after COVID onset. These results have the potential to inform existing policies to mitigate risks associated with R/S intervention use during future public health emergencies and in general practice.

show abstract

Section: Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, reducing bed availability by only 5% resulted in the number of R/S events decreasing by more than 50% over nine months following the onset of the COVID pandemic. On the other hand, research from a mental health hospital in Malaga, Spain, found no change in the likelihood of mechanical restraint [ 35 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of restraint and seclusion interventions in Ontario emergency departments: A population-based study

Weissflog,

Kim,

Rajack

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Following the declaration of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) as a health emergency in January 2020 and then as a pandemic two months later [27], several authors expressed concerns that mandatory preventive measures, including isolation to minimize the transmission of the virus, may have had an impact on the prevalence of restrictive practices in mental health institutions [28,29]. In this regard, international research shows that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in the frequency and/or length of psychiatric hospitalizations [30][31][32]. For seclusion and restraint rates, results were mixed; some studies indicated a decrease [33,34], while others an increase [34,36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seclusion and mechanical restraint in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: an increased use in mental health settings

Goulet

Cassivi

Hupé

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions have significantly changed the environment and the delivery of direct care in all health services, including psychiatric hospitals. The aim of the study is two-fold: 1) to retrospectively assess the prevalence of seclusion and mechanical restraint in a Quebec mental health hospital over 4 years; and 2) to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their prevalence. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study based on medical records from a Quebec mental health hospital collected (a) from April 2016 to March 2019), (b) from April 2019, to March 2020 (pre-COVID onset), and (c) from April 2020 to March 2021 (post-COVID onset). Descriptive statistics, chi square tests, Mann-Kendall test and Welch's t-test were performed. Results: Following several years during which the use of restrictive measures remained stable, we have noted a significant increase within the first year following the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase can be seen in the use of both seclusion and restraints, which have risen 205% and 170% respectively. Conclusion: There are a multitude of factors associated with the prevalence of seclusion and restraint that have the potential to be triggered during emergencies and global crisis situations, impacting in turn the rights of an already vulnerable population.

show abstract

Seclusion and mechanical restraint in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: an increased use in mental health settings

Goulet,

Cassivi,

Hupé

et al. 2024

Front. Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeCOVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions have significantly changed the environment and the delivery of direct care in all health services, including psychiatric hospitals. The aim of the study is two-fold: 1) to retrospectively assess the incidence of seclusion and mechanical restraint in a Quebec mental health hospital over 4 years; and 2) to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their incidence.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective study based on medical records from a Quebec mental health hospital collected (a) from April 2016 to March 2019), (b) from April 2019 to March 2020 (pre-COVID onset), and (c) from April 2020 to March 2021 (post-COVID onset). Descriptive statistics, chi square tests, Mann-Kendall test and Welch’s t-test were performed.ResultsFollowing several years during which the use of restrictive measures remained stable, we have noted a significant increase within the first year following the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase can be seen in the use of both seclusion and restraints, which have risen 205% and 170% respectively.ConclusionThere are a multitude of factors associated with the incidence of seclusion and restraint that have the potential to be triggered during emergencies and global crisis situations, impacting in turn the rights of an already vulnerable population.

show abstract

COVID-19 pandemic in a mental health ward: inpatient admissions, use of mechanical restraint and aggressions

Cited by 3 publications

References 21 publications

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of restraint and seclusion interventions in Ontario emergency departments: A population-based study

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of restraint and seclusion interventions in Ontario emergency departments: A population-based study

Seclusion and mechanical restraint in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: an increased use in mental health settings

Seclusion and mechanical restraint in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: an increased use in mental health settings

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About