Use of seclusion in a psychiatric intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use in a psychiatric intensive care unit of a newly introduced seclusion room for the management of acutely disturbed and/or violent patients. METHOD A specially designed seclusion chart was used to document fully events immediately before, during, and immediately after seclusion. Data from the charts over a 6-month period provided the basis for the study. RESULTS The seclusion rate of about 2% of all admissions is less than that reported in the UK and the USA, suggesting that the facility is not used exclusively. Nursing staff welcomed seclusion as a means of reducing levels of dangerousness in the unit, but emphasized that it should be monitored carefully in order to prevent inappropriate use.