Physical restraint for persons with mental disorder: perceptions of the nursing team

Abstract

The physical restraint has been used in the treatment of madness of secular form, however, in the current psychosocial model the use of these resources is dwindling. The objectives were to identify the form of physical restraint known by the nurses of the institution and gathering their perceptions about the use of this feature. Descriptive study developed from February to June 2007 in a psychiatric hospital in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. Participants: two nurses and six nursing assistants working in inpatient units for patients with acute symptoms. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and submitted to thematic analysis according to the proposal of Minayo. The categories that emerged from the data were current modalities of physical restraint in the institution and Instruments of physical restraint in disuse. The subjects have between 16 and 35 years of experience in the field of mental health and used in practice such devices, most of which is in disuse. Individuals differ as to the effectiveness of the instruments of physical restraint. It was concluded that there is a need for further discussion and research on mental health practices, especially those relating to restrictive procedures.