USE OF SECLUSION ON AN INPATIENT CRISIS-INTERVENTION UNIT

Because the use of seclusion is controversial, a retrospective study of 50 patients was designed to examine how seclusion is actually being used on a short-term inpatient crisis intervention unit. It was found that 44 per cent of the patients were secluded during their stay. Neither sex nor race seemed to be a factor in whether a patient was secluded, but elderly patients and depressed patients were less likely to be secluded. Most of the seclusions occurred on the first day of hospitalization, with the four most common reasons being agitation, uncooperativeness, anger, and history of violence. The author speculates that the use of seclusion on the crisis unit is related to the characteristics of the patient population as well as to the short duration of patient stay.