RT Journal Article
T1 Alternatives to the Use of Mechanical Restraints in the Management of Agitation or Aggressions of Psychiatric Patients: A Scoping Review
A1 Fernández Costa, Damián
A1 Gómez Salgado, Juan
A1 Fagundo Rivera, Javier
A1 García Iglesias, Juan Jesús
AB Coercive measures are a highly controversial issue in mental health. Although scientificevidence on their impact is limited, they are frequently used. Furthermore, they lead to a highnumber of ethical, legal, and clinical repercussions on both patients, and professionals and institutions.This review aims to assess the impact of the main alternative measures to prevent or limit the use ofcoercive measures with restraints in the management of agitated psychiatric patients. The researchwas conducted following the guidelines recommended by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items forSystematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) in Medline, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science,PsycInfo, LILACS, and Health Database of records between 2015 and 2020. After a critical reading,21 valid articles were included. Both simple interventions and complex restraint programs wereevaluated. Training in de-escalation techniques, risk assessment, and implementation of the “six corestrategies” or “Safewards” program were the most assessed and effective interventions to reduceaggressive behaviors and the use of coercive measures. According to the revised literature, it ispossible to reduce the use of restraints and coercive measures and not increase the number of incidentsand violent behaviors among the patients through a non-invasive and non-pharmacological approach.However, further research and further randomized clinical trials are needed to compare the differentalternatives and provide higher quality evidence.
PB MDPI
SN 2077-0383
YR 2020
FD 2020-08
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/18863
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/18863
LA eng
NO Fernández Costa, D., Gómez Salgado, J., Fagundo Rivera, J. ... García Iglesias, J. J. (2020). Alternatives to the Use of Mechanical Restraints in the Management of Agitation or Aggressions of Psychiatric Patients: A Scoping Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 9(9), 2791. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9092791
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026