Mental health: use and abuse of control and restraint

The recent report of the inquiry into complaints at Ashworth Hospital (1) recommended that control and restraint techniques, used to contain violent conduct, should be used as a last resort, 'and should be subject to careful scrutiny to determine system failures'. This article, which points out that nurses in many areas are victims of increased levels of violence, defines control and restraint techniques, who should use them and in which situations their use may be sanctioned. The author concludes that although preservation of the patient's rights and dignity is paramount, nurses who have undergone control and restraint training are more confident practitioners when they are confronted with violent situations. In a second article next month, Tarbuck will look at issues of ethics and the human rights of patients.