Reducing aggression in psychiatric wards using Safewards-A Polish study.

PURPOSE: To reduce the use of mechanical restraints, Safewards was introduced to a ward in a psychiatric hospital in Poland. DESIGN AND METHODS: Three aspects of Safewards were applied for 8 months. The comparison time period was the same time frame of the previous year. FINDINGS: Restraint use dropped by 24%, and the number of patients restrained dropped 34%. The duration of restraint remained at 2.8 days per episode. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Simple techniques aimed at promoting positive interactions between staff and patients can reduce the frequency of restraints.