De-Escalation and Restraint Training for Clinicians: A literature review

Te Pou reviewed and evaluated de-escalation and restraint training in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand. The findings of this literature review discuss training content and evaluation, national consistency and quality, and collaborating with service users to improve both their outcomes and those for staff.

Various forms of restraint and de-escalation training for staff in acute mental health settings are provided by DHBs. However, with government directives for DHBs to reduce the use of seclusion and restraint, expectations of training are shifting.

Recovery oriented, trauma informed and values based practice is influencing how de-escalation and restraint training is viewed and delivered. There is also increased pressure to ensure training is consistent, of good quality, and based on robust evidence and evaluation.