National data on coercion in psychiatry from Wales

A lack of adequate and accurate data in relation to coercion means that there is little information to guide benchmarking and service planning. The aim of this study was to collate and analyse data for restrictive physical interventions (RPIs) across Wales. All health boards in Wales were asked to provide information on restrictive physical interventions across all specialties. Information requested allowed calculations per 100 admissions and per 100 occupied bed days per month, which reduce bias attributed to levels of admissions and occupancy. Full data sets were obtained for 2013 from all health boards. There was a wide level of variation between health boards. Uniform data gathering is required. Benchmarking may be a useful tool to develop strategies to reduce regional variations.