[The use of mechanical restraint and seclusion: comparing the clinical practice in Germany and Switzerland].

Objective: Although coercive measures are one of the indicators of the quality of psychiatric in-patient care, reliable and valid data comparing the practice in different countries are not available. Due to the diversity of definitions, types of coercive measures analysed, case/patient mix and indicators calculated, published national results can not be compared. This study intended to standardizedly assess the use of mechanical restraint and seclusion across German and Swiss hospitals.

The use of mechanical restraint and seclusion in patients with schizophrenia: a comparison of the practice in Germany and Switzerland.

Background: The use of coercive measures is an indicator of the quality of psychiatric inpatient treatment. To date, there is no data available to European comparisons on the incidence of such measures.

Methods: The frequency and duration of mechanical restraint and seclusion on patients with a diagnosis of F2 ICD-10 was analysed in seven German and seven Swiss psychiatric hospitals in the year 2004 using three indicators.

Diagnosis-related frequency of compulsory measures in 10 German psychiatric hospitals and correlates with hospital characteristics.

Objective: To investigate the incidence of coercive measures in standard psychiatric care in different psychiatric hospitals.

Methods: We developed a common documentation of mechanical restraint, seclusion, and medication by coercion, and introduced it in 10 participating hospitals. We developed software able to process the data and to calculate four key indicators for routine clinical use.

[Incidence of coercive measures as an indicator of quality in psychiatric hospitals. Problems of data recording and processing, preliminary results of a benchmarking study].

Objective: The clinical practice concerning the use of coercive measures in psychiatry should be compared.

Method: A common documentation of physical restraint, seclusion, and medication by coercion was introduced among 10 hospitals.

Results: 8.