Staff and Patient Perceptions of the Least Restrictive Alternatives for the Short-term Control of Disturbed Behavior

Abstract

Although there is agreement within professional and legal communities that the least restrictive alternative should be used when restraining upset psychiatric patients, there is disagreement as to what constitutes the least restrictive alternative. Forty patients and 38 staff who had either much or little direct experience with restraint techniques were asked their opinions about various aspects of the appropriateness and restrictiveness of nine different techniques or combinations of techniques for managing upset patients in each of four different hypothetical situations. The results revealed remarkable agreement about the relative intrusiveness of the techniques. The implications for the management of disturbed patients are discussed.