[Safety, therapeutic hold, and patient's cohesion on closed, recently opened, and open psychiatric wards]

Abstract

Objective: To compare ward atmosphere, safety, therapeutic hold, and patients' coherence on closed, recently opened, and open psychiatric wards.

Methods: Ward atmosphere on two closed, two recently opened, and two permanently open wards was examined using the Essen Climate Evaluation Schema (EssenCES), and structural as well as clinical data were extracted.

Results: Global ward atmosphere (p < 0.001), safety (p < 0.001), and patients' coherence (p < 0.001) on the recently opened wards were significantly higher than on the closed and permanently open wards. No significant differences were found regarding therapeutic hold. Recently opened wards had the highest occupancy, and there were no significant differences regarding severity of illness.

Conclusion: Opening closed psychiatric wards can help establish a positive therapeutic atmosphere without omitting more severely ill patients or endangering patients and therapists.