Forced medication in psychiatric care: patient experiences and nurse perceptions.
The aims of this study were to describe: patient experiences of and nurse perceptions of patient experiences of forced medication before, during and after forced medication; patient and nurse perceptions of alternatives to forced medication; and whether patients, according to patients and nurses, retrospectively approved of forced medication. Eleven patients and nurses were interviewed about a certain situation of forced medication. Data were analysed by content analysis. The findings demonstrate that forced medication evokes a number of patient experiences according to patients and nurses. These are related to the disease, the situation of being forcibly medicated and the drug. Patients mentioned several alternatives to the forced medication, whereas nurses mentioned no alternatives. A minority of the patients, and not as many patients as the nurses' thought, retrospectively approved of the use of forced medication. It can be concluded that patients and nurses do not share the same perceptions about what patients experience when forcibly medicated.
Haglund
K
K
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Section of Caring Sciences, University of Uppsala, Sweden. kristina.haglund@pubcare.uu.se
Von Knorring
L
L
Von Essen
L
L
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003068:Coercion; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009726:Nurses; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010465:Perception