MedPage Today (5/21, Susman) reports a study presented at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting suggests the “use of chemical restraint was more common among Black patients versus white and Hispanic patients in psychiatric emergency settings.” Researchers observed that “among 852 patients, chemical restraint – intramuscular injections of drugs such as benzodiazepines or antipsychotics – was used in 37.7% of Black patients compared with 32.6% of white patients and 22.6% of Hispanic patients, with the latter difference reaching statistical significance.” They concluded, “These findings suggest disparities in care and the need for further research to determine how these data impact patient outcomes and mental health care-seeking behavior. Disproportionate use of chemical restraint can result in adverse clinical outcomes, including prolonged hospitalization and higher readmission rates.”
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