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ABSTRACT Introduction Aim Method Results Discussion Implications for Practice Coercion influences mental health services users' experience of care and can hinder their recovery process, so it is essential to understand how it is perceived in rehabilitation settings oriented towards recovery.To describe and measure users' experience of coercion and explore their perception of the treatment received in an inpatient medium‐stay psychiatric rehabilitation unit (IMSPRU).This study, in which 75 service users participated, used a mixed methods approach. Twenty participants were administered a semistructured interview and completed quantitative measures for coercion and 55 additional service users completed the quantitative measurements only. The perception of coercion was measured using the Coercion Experience Scale.The content analysis of qualitative data resulted in two main themes: treatment received and experience of coercion in the IMSPRU. The participants made a distinction between good treatment and mistreatment or unfair treatment. Experience of coercion in the IMSPRU included the feeling of freedom or lack thereof in the unit, forms of formal and informal coercion, and the positive or negative impact of rules on the unit. The quantitative data revealed a low perception of formal coercion among the users.Individuals had different views of what it meant to be treated well, but all agreed on the importance of communication and the need to feel respected. Informal coercion was the most frequent type of coercion identified, but users were often unaware of its existence.Knowledge of how IMSPRU users experience the treatment received from nursing staff and how they perceive coercive situations will help to lay the foundations of a system of care oriented towards good treatment and noncoercive practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coercion in mental healthcare is ubiquitous and affects the physical health, recovery and psychological and emotional well‐being of those who experience it. Numerous studies have explored different issues related to coercion, and the present umbrella review aims to gather, evaluate and synthesise the evidence found across systematic reviews. The protocol, registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020196713), included 46 systematic reviews and meta‐analyses of primary studies whose main theme was coercion and which were obtained from databases (Medline/PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL) and repositories of systematic reviews following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. All the reviews were subjected to independent assessment of quality and risk of bias and were grouped in two categories: (1) evidence on specific coercive measures (including Community Treatment Orders, forced treatment, involuntary admissions, seclusion and restriction and informal coercion), taking into account their prevalence, related factors, effectiveness, harmful effects and alternatives to reduce their use; and (2) experiences, perceptions and attitudes concerning coercion of professionals, mental health service users and their caregivers or relatives. This umbrella review can be useful to professionals and users in addressing the wide variety of aspects encompassed by coercion and the implications for professionals' daily clinical practice in mental health units. This research received funding from two competitive calls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject?: Coercive measures represent an ethical conflict because they limit the person's freedom, compromising their personal autonomy, self‐determination and fundamental rights.The reduction of the use of coercive measures implies not only regulations and mental health systems, but also cultural aspects, such as societal beliefs, attitudes, and values.There is evidence about the professionals' views on coercion in acute mental health care units and community settings, but they remain unexplored in inpatient rehabilitation units. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: The knowledge about coercion varied from not knowing at all the meaning of the word, to a proper description of the phenomenon.Coercive measures are considered a necessary evil or normalized in mental health care and considered implicit to daily practice. What are the implications for practice?: The perceptions and attitudes towards coercion might be influenced by the knowledge about the phenomenon. Training of mental health nursing staff in non‐coercive practice could help professionals to detect, be conscious towards, and question coercive measures, thus orienting them to the effective implementation of interventions or programmes with evidenced effectiveness to reduce them. Introduction: Creating a therapeutic and safe milieu with the minimum coercive measures requires knowing professionals' perceptions and attitudes towards coercion, but they remain unexplored in medium and long‐stay inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation units. Aim: To explore the knowledge, perception and experience of coercion among nursing staff at a rehabilitation medium‐stay mental health unit (MSMHU) in Eastern Spain. Method: Qualitative phenomenological study including 28 face‐to‐face, semi‐structured interviews based on a script. Data were analysed using content analysis. Results: Two main themes were found: (1) therapeutic relationship and treatment in the MSMHU, which included three subthemes: qualities of the professionals for building the therapeutic relationship; perceptions about the persons admitted to the MSMHU; views of the therapeutic relationship and treatment in the MSMHU; (2) Coercion at the MSMHU, comprising five subthemes: professional knowledge; general aspects; emotional impact of coercion; opinions; alternatives. Discussion: Coercive measures are often normalized in mental health care and considered implicit to daily practice. A proportion of participants who did not know what coercion is. Implications for Practice: Knowledge about coercion might influence attitudes towards coercion. Mental health nursing staff could benefit from formal training in non‐coercive practice, facilitating the operative implementation of effective interventions or programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]