The Protecteur du citoyen received a report about the psychiatric unit of Hôpital du Centre-de-la-Mauricie in Shawinigan. Staff allegedly used control measures too quickly and the attitude of some nursing staff was inappropriate.
The Protecteur du citoyen decided to intervene.
The aim of control measures is to prevent a person from harming themselves or someone else. They must be applied as a last resort with the consent of the person concerned, except in an emergency.
Findings
The investigation showed that there were several problems with the application of control measures on the psychiatric unit. They are often:
- Applied without the staff having first tried to manage the situation differently.
- Used for too long.
- Imposed in a non-emergency situation without the permission of the person concerned (sometimes as a punishment).
In addition, shortcomings in record keeping were noted. For example, staff sometimes neglect to complete control measure forms. When they do, the documents are often incomplete or filled in unnecessarily, which creates confusion.
The investigation also showed that some nurses lack patience and kindness towards patients. In addition, staff would benefit from being better trained to intervene in more complex crisis situations.
Finally, the condition of people with suicidal thoughts does not always seem to be assessed quickly enough.
Recommendations
The Protecteur du citoyen made 16 recommendations to Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Mauricie-et-du-Centre-du-Québec. The institution accepted all of them, and the Protecteur du citoyen will follow up on their implementation.
Intervention report concerning Hôpital du Centre-de-la-Mauricie (PDF, 287 KiB, in French only)
