“It’s possible”: reducing the coercion in care for adults living with neurodevelopmental disorders: a mixed-methods study

Introduction

Adults living with a neurodevelopmental disorder may present episodes of aggression, which may lead to the use of seclusion or restraint. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of an intervention aimed at reducing the use of coercive measures in a long-term care unit for adults suffering from a neurodevelopmental disorder with or without psychiatric co-morbidities.

Method

The single-center study used a sequential mixed-methods explanatory design. Retrospective data on periods of seclusion, with and without physical restraint, were collected for the ten-month pre-intervention and post-intervention periods. A qualitative survey was conducted at the end of the intervention period among the health professionals working in the unit to review the implementation and the efficiency of the approach.

Results

A significant decrease was observed between the pre- and post-intervention period in the number of seclusion and restraint sequences, the number of patients experiencing seclusion and restraint, and the duration of seclusion and restraint sequences. The efficiency of the approach was confirmed by the health care professionals and was attributed to leadership focused on limiting coercive measures, better adherence to legal obligations, team cohesion, and the implementation of alternative tools and methods.

Discussion

Reducing the use of coercive measures with adults with neurodevelopmental disorders is possible. Further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of alternative strategies to seclusion and restraint.

[The discipline of nursing : Knowledge, teaching, and care]

In recent years, professional skills and the nursing profession in France have undergone major transformations. These have included the recognition of advanced nursing practice and its implementation in 2018, and the creation by the National Council of Universities in 2019 of a “Nursing” section (n° 92), which has paved the way for the development of research and teaching in nursing in an academic environment in France.To support these transformations, the Association de recherche en soins infirmiers (Arsi) (Nursing Research Association) has for several years been organizing seminars and symposia. The seminar “The discipline of nursing : Knowledge, teaching, and care,” held on November 16, 2019 in Paris, was a continuation of those organized in 2014 and 2016.This seminar focused on the acquisition of nursing knowledge, in particular through the analysis of clinical situations using two middle-range theories : comfort and symptom management.The first part of this article describes the objectives and the working methodology of the seminar. The second part provides a recap of the theoretical foundations, while the third and final part presents the results of what the workshops participants produced.