Pharmacologic restraint during ED mental health visits

Abstract

In this volume of The Journal, Foster et al reported the trends and variation in the use of pharmacologic restraint among pediatric mental health visits in the emergency department. The authors noted a more than 2-fold increase in mental health visits over the past decade. The use of pharmacologic restraints during the same time period increased more than 3-fold. More importantly, they reported significant variation in the use of pharmacologic restraints across hospitals. Ideally, children with mental health concerns should be seen in emergency departments that create calming environments and by staff trained on behavioral de-escalation techniques for children.