Consumer recommendations for enhancing the Safewards model and interventions.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research
• Patient Experience

Background:

• The Safewards model aims to improve safety in psychiatric inpatient settings.
• Understanding the lived experiences of patients is crucial for refining mental healthcare models.
• Trauma and harm prevention are significant concerns in psychiatric hospitalization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critique the Safewards model from the perspective of individuals with lived experience of psychiatric hospitalization.
• To evaluate the impact of Safewards interventions on hospitalized patients.
• To explore the concepts of 'sanctuary harm' and 'sanctuary trauma' within inpatient mental healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of lived experiences of psychiatric hospitalization, mental illness diagnosis, and distress.
• Focus on both tested and lesser-known Safewards interventions.
• Incorporation of consumer-perspective authors to critique existing literature and propose model expansions.

Main Results:

• Identified the impact of Safewards interventions on hospitalized consumers.
• Highlighted the prevalence of trauma and the necessity of harm prevention in psychiatric settings.
• Introduced and defined 'sanctuary harm' and 'sanctuary trauma' in the context of inpatient care.

Conclusions:

• Safewards interventions can contribute to achieving a sanctuary environment.
• The model's scope can be expanded to enhance the consumer experience of safety beyond reducing seclusion and restraint.
• Patient perspectives are vital for developing more effective and humane mental healthcare practices.