El coste económico de los procedimientos de contención mecánica de origen psiquiátrico en España

Abstract

Agitation is a group of psychiatric symptoms that commonly occur in patients with psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and manic phase of bipolar disorder. Traditional methods of controlling agitated patients include verbal de-escalation, mechanical and pharmacological restraints. This study attempts to determine the direct medical costs attributable to psychiatric mechanical restraint in Spain. This resource was evaluated using published unit costs and national epidemiological data. The estimated direct costs of a restraint episode ranged from €513-€1,160 (4-12h per episode duration, respectively). Total annual costs of psychiatric mechanical restraint considering a duration of 4h per episode were estimated at €27 million.